These things that are pleasin' you can hurt you somehow.

Eagles, "Desperado"

12

Nobody argued against Erza when she put her motion forward: find the pole, climb the mountain, go back home. They discussed logistics among themselves over dinner and everyone agreed that if they were going to go through with this crazy plan, they had to start as soon as possible.

"Realistically, we can leave in search of the pole tomorrow itself," Lucy said. "We have ten days of actual daylight left. Anything after that will be twilight. It's a narrow corridor, and we can't afford to waste it."

"Wait, you're going out there?" Gray couldn't help but ask. "Is it safe?"

"Actually, it'll be good for me," Lucy answered. "I still walk around the camp some to stay fit and durable. Going out would definitely help. Besides, I'll never be cold with this doofus around."

Natsu smiled when she grabbed his hand, but said nothing. Gray nodded. If they thought they could do it, they could do it.

"The good news is, if we're going to find the pole, we have to circumnavigate the mountain range," Wendy added. "That gives us an excuse to hug the range and go around. Find the best angle for us to climb."

"Or we could forego circumnavigation and travel across the mountains," Erza put forward. "That should save us more time."

Gray shook his head. "That's insane. The pole could be nowhere near the range. Could be an unremarkable little nook for all we know."

"Gray's right, unfortunately," Wendy weighed in before Erza could argue. "We just won't know for certain unless we map out the mountains a little more. Our best bet is to follow the sextant and the sun. We can't afford to waste time climbing. We're literally burning daylight."

Erza sat back, lips pursed. "All right. If that's the best course of action, then that is what we'll do. Lucy, make inventory of whatever we'll need. Natsu, Wendy, help her and then pack. We'll leave as early as we can, weather permitting." She looked at them all. "But for now, put on some music. Let's give Gray and Luca the welcoming party they deserve!"

Before Gray or Luca could complain, Wendy got up to turn on the music.

"This really isn't necessary-" Gray began.

"Especially after dinner-" Luca continued, but Erza shook her head.

"Nonsense. You crossed more than half the world to help us. This is the least we can do. Now get up, boys! We're dancing!"

The only place Erza Scarlet inspired more fear than the battlefield was the dancefloor, and Gray was not immune to the terror. He saw Natsu and Lucy get up holding hands, smiling resignedly at each other and felt his mind race.

Okay those two are paired up. I needta act now if I wanna escape.

"Wendy!" he called and shot out of his chair. "Can I interest you in this dance?" He bounded over to the girl who had just put the track on. "Don't say no!"

His strategy worked. Gray startled her into accepting.

That left Luca to deal with Erza. Luca, who was excited at the prospect of not having to dance with anyone he didn't know. Luca, who was wholly unaware of Erza's style of dancing. Luca, who approached Erza of his own accord.

"That was dirty," Wendy told him quietly as they swayed to the music. "The poor boy doesn't deserve it."

"Hmm." Gray shot a sidelong glance at Erza and Luca, who were chatting with each other still. "I have no idea what you mean. I just wanted to dance with you again. It's been such a long time."

"Sure, I'll believe that." She grinned. "The last time was at the Grand Magic Games, wasn't it?"

"I think so. Yeah."

"Time sure flies." Wendy closed her eyes and hummed. "It's really good to be around you again. I missed you."

"Yeah, same," Gray replied and shuffled away. Erza had just started twirling Luca. From the rather enthusiastic smile on her face, it did not seem like she was likely to stop anytime soon. "I'm going to miss Luca, too."

Wendy snickered. "Why did you submit him as tribute? You're supposed to protect him."

"Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for the greater good." Gray nodded. "My strategy's objectives are twofold."

"Do tell."

"First, Luca learns a valuable lesson – not every pretty face can be trusted." Wendy snorted. "Second, Erza gets it out of her system and will be more approachable later on for... a less energetic rhythm."

"Nice. But still a dirty scheme."

"You do what you can to survive."

Wendy laughed but said nothing more, allowing for companionable silence to fall between them. The music was gentle and lilting. Perfect for slow dancing. It was a considerate choice given Lucy's condition, and she seemed to be having fun. She hugged Natsu and swayed along, both of them smiling to themselves – and at him from time to time. Gray smiled back. It was nice, seeing them happy and in love. It was the best thing he could have hoped for.

Luca, on the other hand, wasn't doing so well. As soon as the song ended, he staggered out of the building, holding his hand to his mouth.

"Perhaps I overdid it," Erza commented as he left, hands on hips. Except for some nervous laughter from Lucy, nobody said anything.

"Someone needs to teach her how to dance," Gray muttered as he and Wendy separated and bowed to each other.

"Maybe that should be you," she whispered back and grinned at him. Then, aloud, she said, "Okay, guys, let's go pack up for tomorrow."

"Don't pack a lotta tents," Gray added. "We can just create igloos. Take only the equipment that I can't make outta ice."

"Good. That makes it easier." Lucy nodded. "I know I've said this before, Gray, but it's good to have you back."

"Heh. Yeah. Good to be back. G'night, guys."

"Night!"

They then walked off to their room, Natsu waving over his shoulder. Gray chuckled. First day back with the gang and shit hadn't hit the fan. That was an achievement in itself.

"Not gonna join them?" he asked, turning towards where Erza stood. "Team Leader?"

"I was worried about Luca," she answered, looking out of the window at the igloo. "Maybe I should not have made him dance on a full stomach..."

That's not why he's sick!

Gray cleared his throat and joined her by the window. "You can go and check on him if you want."

"No. I have to go and start packing, too. It will be a hectic few days." She sighed and turned to face him. "So, how was your first day back with the bunch?"

"Not as bad as I was hoping," Gray answered after some thought. "I wasn't expecting such a reception."

"It is silly to think you would have gotten anything but." Erza smiled at him. "Every single person here loves you and has missed you dearly." Then, stepping closer, she placed a palm on his chest and added, gently, "You have no enemies here, Gray. Just a lot of people who have been waiting for a very long time."

She was close. Too close. Enough for him to lose himself in her eyes. They were... so warm and bright. The way she was looking up at him... if only he tipped his face down a smidge...

No. Stop. This isn't why you busted your ass to get here.

Instead, he nodded. "I waited too, y'know. Year after year, I waited. You're the only one who kept in touch."

Sighing, Erza removed her hand. "I understand their reasons just as I understand yours, Gray. I'm just glad you're getting along with them now."

The moment was over. He knew it. So, he took a few steps back and jerked his chin towards the door. "I should go. Get rested up for tomorrow. When do you want us to be up and about?"

"Mm. 0400 hours."

"That's early. You run a tough crew here, huh?"

That made her grin. "I expect the same level of discipline from you, Gray. For better or worse, you're part of this now."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Gray saluted her, smiling back and turned towards the door. "Goodnight, Erza."

"Goodnight, Gray." He heard her whispered words. Felt her brush past his back on her way to her room. "Sweet dreams."

Gulping, Gray turned the handle and stumbled out. Though he couldn't see the sun, it was still really well lit. He leant back against the door and tugged on his collar.

"God damn," he told himself. What was that brushing past? And the whispering? This should not be sexy! Yet, it is! He slapped both his cheeks at once. "Snap outta this. Ya got work to do. And work starts with getting some sleep. Right."

The heat rising from his neck was rather short-lived, however, as a clump of snow hit him squarely in the face.

"Ya coulda warned me!" came Luca's voice. Gray wiped away the remnants of the missile, but another one splattered on his nose immediately after. "I almost passed out!"

"Dancing requires spirit." Gray chuckled as more snowballs assaulted him. "And the spirit is strong in Erza. Besides, you sure you wanna tempt me with a snowball fight at the south pole?"

Luca stopped mid windup and considered throwing the next projectile. He then pulled a face and dropped it. "Meh."

"Good boy."

"Why didn't you kiss her when you were at the window?"

Gray stopped dead in his tracks. "What."

"Glass is see-through, Gray." Luca replied, smirking, and started to crawl into the igloo. "Shoulda taken the chance while ya had it. Who knows when you'll get another chance? Be a shame if everyone's too busy tomorrow onwards."

Once Luca vanished into the igloo, Gray placed his hands on his hips and hung his head. It was true, what that damn pest had said. Things were moving along really fast, and it would only speed up. It was really an historic journey – more so if they succeeded at all the goals and got back safely.

But...

He turned back towards the camp. Watched the window. Erza had been close enough for him to feel her warmth on his face. True, she didn't have a history of realising what she did to him, but that didn't stop him from hoping.

Heaving a sigh, he looked away and started walking towards the igloo. Whatever happened, tomorrow was another day to survive. All he could do was hope everything went well.

"Good morning!" Lucy greeted Gray as soon as he came out of the igloo. "Sleep okay?"

"Hmm." The dreaded katabatic winds had returned full force sometime after they'd gone to bed. Though the igloo protected them from the cold, it couldn't completely shield them from the sound. The winds had buffeted them non-stop for hours. "We slept. What're you doing out here so early? It's not even four in the morning."

"Sextant reading," she replied. Gray, halfway through the crawlspace, looked up and found her looking through the strange optical device, pointing it straight at the sun. "Calculating where we are latitude-wise. The closer we are to 90, the shorter distance left to travel."

Humming, Gray rose to his feet. Luca was still asleep and he wanted him to get as much sleep as he could. He went and stood next to Lucy.

"Why're you really here, Lucy?"

To her credit, Lucy's reaction stayed limited to exhaling. She kept looking through the sextant, moved the bits around and only lowered it once she'd taken her reading. When she faced him, she wore a thin smile.

"You can tell, huh." She patted the sextant nervously, glancing down for a second before meeting his eyes. "I was taking a reading, you know."

"You guys've been here for months, Luce. You can probably recite your latitude backwards in your sleep." She chuckled. "So, what's up?"

"I just wanted to talk. Without all of them." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the camp. "Walk with me?"

"Sure."

It was hard not to peek at her stomach, but Gray did his best. He fell into step beside her as she went on a circuit around the camp. She was silent, fiddling with the sextant nervously as she walked. Gray let the silence drag on, waiting for her to start. He had time.

"Luca doesn't talk much, huh?" Lucy asked eventually, but kept looking down to regard the terrain. "He's been really quiet so far."

Gray considered this. "He needs the right company, I guess."

A hollow chuckle escaped Lucy and she nodded. "Right. Did he... want to come?"

"He did. I can't make him do things, Luce. He makes his decisions, and I suffer 'em."

"But why?" She stopped in her tracks. "Why would he? After everything–"

He sensed it in her voice. In the way she looked straight ahead or to the side and not at him. In the way her bottom lip quivered. He knew immediately what she'd come to say.

"It's not your fault," Gray interrupted her, swivelling around to stand in front of her. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her mildly. "Hey, look at me, okay?" When she did, her eyes were watering. He smiled. "You know that none of what happened was your fault, right? Literally none of it?"

"Yeah, but it was just so awful..." She hiccupped. Dabbed at her eyes with her sleeves. "Every day, I thought I could've done something." Heaving a sigh, she finally looked up at him. "Y'know?"

"Yeah. I know." Gray wrapped his arms around Lucy's shoulders and hugged her gently. "I know that feeling."

"We all felt it," she went on, speaking into his shoulder. "All of us, but it was too late. You were gone." Sighing, Gray stroked her hair. "And all that guilt... we were so focused on what we could have done, that we lost sight of what we should have been doing. By the time we got even slightly over it, it was too late. Months had passed. And I was so ashamed that I couldn't even pick up a phone and dial your number."

"Shh. It's okay."

"No!" She stepped away from his embrace. "It's not okay! Stop saying it is because it isn't!" She was crying now, the tears finally finding their way down her cheeks. Lucy wiped them away and looked down at her stomach. "I know what it's like now. I understand so well that it hurts." She clutched her anorak over her heart and took a long, tremulous breath. "I don't even want to imagine..."

Gray took a step closer, but she held up her sextant wielding hand.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she choked out before the tears took her fully. "I'm sorry, Gray. I'm so, so sorry for not being there when you were all alone... I'm so... I'm so..."

It wasn't pleasant, having this conversation. Gray had never expected to have it in the first place. It had been six years. Back then, hearing all this might have meant something. Now, in the face of a friend's tears, gratification didn't seem to matter at all. It was a shitty feeling.

Before he could close the distance, Lucy took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve.

"Sorry." A laugh escaped her, wrapped up in a sigh. "I told myself I wasn't gonna cry while saying that." New tears formed and fell, but Lucy's voice grew firm. "If all the mood swings have taught me one thing, it's to control my emotions. Eventually."

Gray laughed and pocketed his hands. Lucy didn't need his support right now. Probably never had. She was a first-rate fighter. A survivor. He didn't need to go easy. It was her decision to speak and she had suffered a lot to screw up the courage. It was evident.

"Go on," he prompted gently. "I'm listening."

It's the least I can do.

"Heh. Yeah. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." She smiled at him curtly, clasping her hands behind her back. "I also wanted to tell you that I respect you like you wouldn't believe."

"Eh?"

Lucy looked towards the direction of the igloo. "For that."

Following her gaze, Gray saw that Luca had crawled out of the igloo and was stretching on the snow.

"You took responsibility when nobody else was willing to," he heard Lucy say. "It didn't even occur to us, we were so caught up in our own shock. But taking care of him was your first instinct, and you did whatever you had to do. It must have been difficult, though I know you got used to it. Erza wouldn't stop talking about how proud she was of you every time she came back."

At that, he turned towards Lucy. Found her grinning.

"You raised a good boy, Gray, and you did it all by yourself," she said and closed the distance, putting her arms around his waist and patting his back. "That's god damn heroic."

There was a lot he could've said at that moment. A lot. The responses flew through his head as he placed his hand atop her head and patted it, like he used to.

I didn't do much.

There's nothing heroic about it. People do it all the time.

Such is life, I guess.

Any of those would have fit. Changed the topic. It was just a matter of choosing the right one, but Lucy interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm proud of you," she said and pulled away. "And Luca, for the person he's become." Lucy gazed at the boy again. "I know he doesn't want to talk to us, but is it okay if I try to talk to him? I don't want him to keep feeling the way he does about us."

Gray glanced at Luca again. Seemingly done with his stretching, he was looking out at the horizon. Hands on hips. Like a navigator of some kind. Still a kid. Still seventeen. Gray sighed.

"You don't hafta ask my permission," he told Lucy. "But keep in mind he's still a kid. Remember how we were while seventeen?" He glanced at her, found her nodding. "Yeah. He might not want to talk to you at all."

"I know," she replied quietly. "But I don't want to not try anymore. I want him to see that we do care."

Too little, too late, Gray wanted to say but bit his tongue. Lucy didn't deserve it. It was his spite talking, anyway.

"It's never too late to do the right thing." Gray patted her on the shoulder and started walking her back to the camp. "'sides, I don't think he'll be too standoffish to a pregnant lady."

Lucy grinned. "I'm counting on it."

Inside, Mavis Camp was alive with the buzzing of activity. Wendy, Natsu and Erza were running about helter-skelter, getting everything ready for departure. Though they didn't have to take much equipment, there was still two sleds' worth. Gray was grateful he hadn't dissolved the sleds or the dogs. More time wasted wouldn't suit their schedule.

"Good morning, Gray," Erza greeted him with a smile. "Food's on the table. Help yourself. Then help out with the loading. I want to be on the road in an hour."

"Yes, ma'am."

Breakfast was hoosh again. It was rather lavish for a team trying to ration their resources, but Gray didn't complain. There was another plate out for Luca, who came in minutes later. The boy plonked down beside him and grunted out a greeting.

"Morning. Got salt?"

"You sound like you slept well," Gray replied, sliding the salt shaker towards Luca. "Rough night?"

"Bad dreams," the boy muttered and tucked into his food. Gray waited for him to elaborate, but it didn't seem to be coming. Instead, he shrugged and kept eating.

It was a good thing that things seemed to be happening so rapidly. If he spent some time to think about everything that had happened, there was no telling how we would react. Years' worth of frustrations and negativity were suddenly being acknowledged and resolved. Caught up in the wake of forward motion, he had kept going.

Where'll I be when I stop?

He had no answer.

Luca nudged his elbow. "You okay, Gray?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not eating."

Blinking, Gray found his spoon, though still in his hands, stuck firmly in the hooch. He looked at Luca, who gave him a curious look.

"Not hungry?"

"Distracted," he replied and shovelled the food in.

"I noticed. You been getting huggy with everyone, huh. You feel better?"

This time, Gray put the spoon down and turned towards the boy. "How d'you mean?"

Luca shrugged. "They're your friends. You feel better after reconnecting? Burying the hatchet?"

Did he? Did he really feel better? It felt nice, sure, but did it help matters? Or change anything?

He had long since been disillusioned by the promises of the future. Whole lotta nothing. But right then and there?

"I dunno," Gray replied honestly, slowly. "Haven't thought about it." Luca nodded. "But... I'm glad, I guess."

"So am I."

Gray turned back to his meal. "What about you? What do you make of 'em?"

"Honestly?" Luca said while chewing. "I dunno what I expected. But just from hearing them talk, they're kinda like idiots?"

"Yeah. That's pretty accurate."

"Wow. Not even gonna defend 'em, huh?"

"There is no defence for dumbassness."

That made the boy laugh, but he didn't say anything more. They finished their breakfast in silence and, after cleaning their dishes, went out to help the others with loading.

Not that there was much to do. Two of the three sleds had been packed with equipment, and there didn't seem to be much more to pile into the third one. Erza stood monitoring the operation and hailed Gray when he and Luca came out.

"The loaded sleds can fit two people each, yes?"

"They should, yeah. Why?"

"An ice mage has to be in the lead sled with me. You choose who that's going to be." She looked from him to the second sled, where Wendy was helping Lucy settle in. "I am keeping them together in case Lucy needs medical assistance at any time."

Gray nodded. "I'll ride in the back with Natsu."

Luca eyed him, but didn't say anything. Erza looked between him and Luca, then smiled at the boy.

"We get a front row seat to the discovery of the Pole," she told him. "Come, Luca, we'll get ourselves comfortable. Stay safe, Gray."

She started walking towards the lead car. Luca didn't.

"You sure that's wise?" he asked in a low tone, watching Erza go. "You coulda had one-on-one time with her."

"Ehh."

"You also need to stay up front and reinforce the ice we travel on. What if-"

Gray stopped him by pressing the top of his hood like an alarm clock.

"Ya won't learn until ya do it yerself." He chuckled. "You wanted an internship. You wanted work experience. It's time to work now."

Sighing, Luca shoved his wrist away. "It'd make more sense for you to be in the lead car and you know it."

"I know. But I don't want you to spend any more time than strictly necessary with any of them." He paused. "Unless you want to."

The boy had no response for that and, grumbling, made for the lead sled. Gray stood and watched him go before turning to the last one, which was strangely free of Natsu. Instead, he found the man standing idly by the second one, talking to Lucy and Wendy. When he walked up to him, Natsu turned away.

"Hey, man," he greeted with a nod. "You about set?"

"I am. What about you?" He peered into the sled. "Everyone comfortable in there? Lucy? Wendy?"

The second sled was almost devoid of equipment altogether. Lucy took up most of the room, with Wendy on the runners. The girl nodded while Lucy raised a thumb.

"Comfortable as can be," she said.

"Good." Gray tapped the sled and turned to Natsu. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, about that," muttered the dragon slayer and led him slightly away from the middle sled. Faced him. "You mind if I ride with Lucy? It's just that given her condition, I don't wanna-"

"Oh, sure, dude, don't worry about it." Gray clapped his shoulder. "I was gonna ask you the same thing. I wouldn't leave my wife's side, either."

For a short second, Natsu said nothing, before a wide, grateful grin split his face.

"Thanks, man." A pause. "This isn't about you or us, though. You know that, right?"

Gray waved it off. "Like I said, that a man wants to be with his wife is all the reason I need. If ya needta dump some stuff on my sled, gimme a hand."

"Don't mind if I do."

It didn't take long for them to make enough space for Natsu to squeeze in beside Lucy. Gray found his own sled a bit cramped, but didn't complain. Ideal conditions were a fruitless dream on the poles.

Against all odds, their party was able to take off at the appointed time. Erza didn't want there to be much gap between sleds at all, so Gray followed closely at the heels of Natsu and Lucy. It was a good strategy in case anyone needed help, but it sacrificed orienteering advantages.

Regardless, Gray waited for the sleds to hit the un-axed ice. Luca would have to use his magic to drive them forward, making tracks for the sled runners in real time. It would be challenging, but he wanted to see how the boy would respond to the challenge.

The answer, he found soon enough, was fairly well.

As soon as they hit the frozen lake, Gray felt a jolt; the transition was rough. After that, it was smooth sailing for the most part. Sometimes, the sled felt a little canted to one side. Sometimes, they slowed down for a few moments. Overall, Gray was satisfied. For a newbie, Luca was doing well.

Once he realised there would be no catastrophic failure, Gray relaxed. The mountains were to his left, arcing due east, towards the sun. At first glance, they didn't look very tall. Two thousand feet at most. But the South Pole itself averaged two thousand five hundred feet above sea level. Those things when combined were enough to worry Gray. He hadn't realised it before because he was used to it, but the air was thin on the surface itself. It would be even worse on the climb.

Gray sighed out of his nose. One step at a time.

The going was good. Minutes and hours melded together in a harmony of boring whiteness. After a while, Gray decided to close his eyes. He wasn't a huge fan of snow and ice in the first place. Well, natural snow. It always brought bad memories with it. To be surrounded on all sides with it now seemed torturous.

In Isvan, he had a reprieve in the summer months at least. The snow melted, brooks swelled into rivers, grass shoots and flowers exploded into life. Before long, he had a multi-coloured carpet to walk on.

Here, that was impossible. The hard ice seldom melted. Glaciers did, sending off large icebergs into the surrounding oceans, but nothing inland. The South Pole was a harsh, cold desert – not unlike The Silent Quarter of Bellum. Gray grimaced. He was not a big fan of deserts on the whole.

His thoughts ended abruptly as the sled came to a halt. Opening his eyes, he saw the dogs standing stock still. Up ahead, he saw Natsu peer out of his sled, trying to understand what was going on. Gray stepped out of his sled.

"Don't get out," he told Natsu as he passed the second sled by, pointing at Lucy. "Stay with her."

Gray didn't know how much time had passed, but they'd left the frozen lake behind. The mountains had curved away to the left, opening up the empty frontier in front of them. He sped up when he saw Luca walking around by the lead sled.

The dogs weren't supposed to stop. They had very specific instructions to only stop by themselves if they somehow felt the integrity of the ice underfoot was compromised. Gray had a feeling he knew what had stopped them, and he braced for it.

'Should I be worried?' he signed to Luca in Isvali when he neared. The ice shelf stretching out before him looked unremarkable. Just like any other stretch of ice on the pole. At first glance, nobody could tell the horrors brewing a few feet below the surface.

Luca stood pensively by the lead dogs, poking a recently made ice-axe into the snow. 'I can't tell how far it extends on the opposite site, but it's deep.'

'Show me.'

Immediately, Luca thrust the ice-axe into the snow until it disappeared almost completely. He looked up at Gray. 'This thing's four feet tall. You want to shovel and get a better look?'

"Hmm." Gray stared down at the snow at his feet and closed his eyes. As clandestinely as he could, he let his magic shoot into the ice. It allowed him to gauge ice and snow particles like a radar.

The powder snow covered a crevasse about a hundred feet deep. He couldn't tell for certain. It was deep, steep, and ran perpendicular to their position for a good few hundred feet. Straight. Like a fault line. A natural stress point in the glacier.

On both sides of the crevasse, the ice walls were sturdy. The only problem was that it was forty feet away. Gray opened his eyes and relayed the information to Luca, who whistled.

'Ladder?' he asked. 'Or plank?'

Ladders were a common piece of equipment for mountaineers. When placed across a crevasse, they could walk across on the rungs safely enough.

Problem was, they weren't walking. They had three equipment laden sleds and three teams of dogs. A ladder wouldn't cut it.

A slab of ice placed like a plank could be used to bridge the gap just as well. It would be heavier, but seemed like the best course of action.

Erza, when she heard of their predicament, frowned. "No other way?"

"We could go around," Gray offered, "but that'll take us miles off course."

"And we don't have that much time to spare." With a sigh and a look back at the rest of her team on the second sled, Erza nodded. "Let's do it. Let's cross here."

"Okay," Gray replied and turned to Luca. "Visualise a simple suspension bridge. Nothing fancy."

The boy nodded and closed his eyes. Though the ice on either side of the crevasse was stable, overburdening it was a risk Gray didn't want to take.

Neither did Luca, from the way he handled it. He knelt down about ten feet away from the crevasse, on strong and stable ice, and let his magic go. Instead of dropping a bridge to cover the gap, he let the bridge grow from one side to another. It was between ten and fifteen feet wide – enough of a safety net. The bridge crawled along the surface of the undisturbed snow, until Gray was sure it had covered close to ten feet on the other end too.

Gray stopped him with a tap on the shoulder before approaching the bridge. He stepped onto it, pressing down gently with his boots. It was a good, solid piece of ice. Luca had even thought to make slopes at the ends for the sleds to be pulled on.

Turning, he gave Luca a thumbs up, who nodded and sat down heavily atop Erza's sled.

It was a good thing the snow layer hadn't dropped away. Being faced with the drop would have played on the boy's nerves. Anyone was capable of anything as long as they were unaware of the dangers. Blowing a breath out of his nose, Gray started walking back to the sleds.

"That was great, Luca," he heard Erza compliment the boy. "You have really come into your own."

"Geez, thanks, Auntie Erza." Luca smiled at her over his shoulder before frowning slightly at Gray. "But I'm all tapped out."

Gray raised a brow. "Already?"

"Hey, man, d'you know how much braining it takes to make magics go?" Luca asked accusatorily. "I gotta control the dogs and make paths for the sleds at all times! There's no room to stop and recharge, and I already feel a headache comin'." He sighed and massaged his forehead. "I'll be all right after I take a nap or somethin'."

"Magic exhaustion's effects are exacerbated in this part of the world," Erza said, patting Luca's back. "We have two ice mages, so you can take shifts."

Heaving another sigh, Luca glanced up at Gray. "Sorry to dump this on your lap so suddenly. Gimme a couple of hours and I'll be good to go."

"Don't apologise. You did good." Which was true. Unlike Luca, he could just eat some ice and replenish his magic. "Go on, get some sleep in my sled."

"Thanks, Gray." Luca rose with a sigh. "I'll do just that." But as he was passing by, he muttered in Isvali, "Have fun snuggling with Auntie Erza. Don't let me down, now."

Gray gasped. He stared in shock at his student's retreating back, wondering what had just happened. Luca patted his butt as he went – the sign for sucker in their household.

That slick sonuvabitch! Did he put all his skill points in Deception or something? Is he really going to be a bard after all?

Gray frowned, hands on his hips. All that instruction, and the boy would turn out to be a charlatan. I guess it can't be helped. I'll just have to stop being his emergency contact before he goes to prison.

Glancing down at Erza, however, he found her looking worried.

"He'll be fine," she said reassuringly, sliding forward and making room for him to sit behind her. "He did a great job, I thought. You should be proud."

I both am and am not, but that ain't the problem at hand.

Gray had become used to sledding. He knew what was to come next, what Luca had set him up for, and that left him both impressed and terrified.

When it came to double carry, the person with their back against the sled would have to place their legs on the runners and spread them out. The one in front would back into the room thus created, and then the person in the back could fold his legs across their partner's lap.

But goddamn that's dangerous! If I spread my legs and she back into my crotch... Oh gods oh fuck oh god fuck shit piss she won't even realise what she's doing to me I'm going to die! Not like I can ask her to sit behind me, either. Then I'd hafta lean my head back into her...her...chest area!

"Gray?" Erza asked after he remained unresponsive for a few moments. She reached out and patted his thigh. "Luca will be fine, don't worry so much!"

"Not what I'm worried about, trust me," he replied quickly. Guess this is it. This is how I go. Goddamn fuckin' kid, dunno if I should thank him or kill him. "Okay... here I come, then."

That's what he said, Luca's voice reverberated in his mind as he sat down behind Erza, which did not help one bit.

Once he was settled in, Erza backed up against him – oh shit oh fuck it's actually happening what the fuck oh noooo – and leant her back against his chest. Before Gray could kill himself mentally any more, she had covered both of them with the sleeping bag.

"Okay," she said, patting his knee. "Ready to go at your discretion."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The sled started moving with a jerk. Gray gripped the sides of the sled with his hands to avoid any unnecessary touching, but his mind galloped away into the fantastical realm of daydreams.

When the sleds crossed the bridge, Gray turned his attention to the task at hand. He found that if he didn't concentrate on their proximity, it made life less hard. Erza herself didn't seem to care. Sometimes, she sat up and took readings on her sextant. Other times, she lay down. On him.

Not that he felt anything. There is as no way for him to sniff her hair from under her hood. He couldn't feel her warmth, either, through all the layers. In fact, there was no sensory stimulation at all. It was just his mind that refused to calm down.

Think of Natsu in a bikini. That oughta help.

All his adult life, Gray had prided himself on giving people space. Giving Erza space. He'd never put her in a position where she'd feel uncomfortable.

Of course, that's assuming she can get uncomfortable.

Gray shook his head. He'd seen Erza be uncomfortable tons of times, around tons of people. She had her triggers. He knew them, and so avoided them.

Even so, no matter what the situation that circumstances had forced them into, Erza had never been uncomfortable around him. Not once.

Case in point, he had his legs wrapped around her torso. She had done the same to him on multiple occasions – usually followed by a rear naked choke – and so probably considered it normal. Erza's threshold for these things was higher than any regular human. Higher than his, that was for certain.

However, he did remember randomly wrestling Erza before. Back in Magnolia. He'd been in the same position before, too. And he remembered that his legs didn't have to squeeze as much to find her stomach. He knew how much room the anorak and clothing layers took up, and he knew Erza's usual girth. Those two measures were almost the same now.

She's lost a fuckton of weight.

It wasn't unusual. At the poles, resources had to be preserved. Most researchers and explorers ate the bare minimum and let their bodies shrink down a size or two. It was a fine way of reducing body fat. But Erza had been there for more than a year. Most researchers only spent the summer months at the pole.

She's fine, he told himself. She knows the risks. She wouldn't unnecessarily endanger herself. Not like this.

Wouldn't she? There was a time when Erza's picture was used on the dictionary entry for martyr.

That was then. This is now. There's no way Erza wouldn't take care of herself now. This mission is too important to her.

While that may have been true, he remembered a time when she had donned her strongest armour and tanked a near-fatal cannon shot. Among other, numerous acts of self-sacrifice. Gray would always think of her in that light a little bit. It was her own fault, really.

"What are you thinking about, Gray?" Erza asked as she settled down after taking a sextant reading, immediately sending his mind into a frenzy.

Elfman in a thong Elfman in a thong Elfmaninathong-

"The mountains," he blurted out. "Yes. Just thinking about the mountains. Kinda miss having them on my left."

"I understand what you mean." She nodded. "We shall go back for them soon enough."

"Right. Speaking of soon, any clue how far away we are?"

"Hmm. Do you know how to work a sextant, Gray?"

"Nope."

"Mhmm. Put simply, at the South Pole, the sun is always at the same angle, regardless of time of day." She held up the sextant. "This lets me figure out that angle. Currently, we're at 88 and change. Hopefully, we'll be there soon."

The news worked as a wonderful distraction. Gray had been to the North Pole, though he hadn't gone there to discover the actual pole. The fact that he was on the cusp on finding something that nobody else in the world had was a tumultuous one.

I'll be among the first to walk on the South Pole. He smiled to himself. And I get to do it with Erza.

Even after all these years, he was still being pulled in the wake of her forward motion. It was always her. Erza was always there to – somehow – break his stasis. Whether it be with zany adventures or random visits, she had always managed to set the tone for his life.

He turned away and sighed out of his nose – didn't want to breathe down the back of her neck.

88 degrees. The Pole was at 90 degrees. Erza had told him that they'd be there soon, but that didn't seem to be happening. After a half an hour, Gray asked her what exactly she'd meant by soon.

"The way to find distance from degrees is to multiply the difference between your position and the position you want to be by 60," she replied. "Then, you get your distance in nautical miles."

"Since it's a nautical instrument."

"Exactly. Right now, we're at 88 degrees and 53 minutes, roughly. If I round off and take that as 89, we're 1 degree away. Meaning we're 60 nautical miles away."

"So, in regular miles that'd be..." Gray calculated in his head. "69 miles, round about." Heh. 69. No, bad! Don't think about that now! "That's not soon at all."

"When compared to the time we've been here, it doesn't feel like much."

"Fair enough."

So far, the conditions were good. No blizzards or strong winds meant that the dogs could run fast. Ever since Gray had taken over from Luca, he'd set the pace at a steady 10-12 miles per hour. Which meant they'd reach their destination somewhere between five to seven hours. Which was a long time to spend straddling Erza.

Hoo boy.

After a couple hours of silence, Erza asked for the dogs to stop around noon. The sleds lined up next to each other, and they all disembarked to stretch their legs a bit. Gray was especially thankful. Luca approached him as Erza went over to talk to Lucy, a lewd smirk on his face.

"So? How'd it go? Do anything fun by yourselves?"

Gray clobbered him on his crown.

The break lasted about half an hour, which most of them spent walking around. As usual, Luca steered clear of the others, and Lucy – escorted by Natsu – never got a chance to approach him.

When the time came to start the journey again, Luca went back to the last sled before Gray could tell him otherwise. Everyone else in Erza's team behaved like a well-oiled machine. They were all ready to go in less than a minute, which Gray found impressive. They'd never had that kind of discipline before.

"The training helped," Erza told him upon being asked. "We had to learn to work without kicking up a fuss."

"'We'?"

"Natsu."

"That's what I thought."

"It was difficult for him. Happy couldn't have withstood the winds and the temperatures, so he had to deal with being separated from him." Erza leant her head back against his chest, humming thoughtfully. "I think he grew up a lot."

"I got a feeling, yes," he replied cautiously. It had only been a day. He couldn't form judgements yet. "It's good to see."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Gray. He really wanted to impress you."

"Impress me? Who? Natsu?"

She nodded. "When he heard you were coming, he was pretty fired up."

"Not sure that's a good thing out here."

"You know what I mean. He was nervous, but he wanted to show you his growth to your face."

You don't have to make his case for him, Gray wanted to say, but curbed his tongue. Erza was like that. She'd been talking about him to them as well. All she wanted was for them to get along again.

"I'm proud of all of you," he said instead. "Lucy especially. She's doing a tremendous job."

"Isn't she? I make sure she's being safe at every turn, but I think she's even more driven to prove herself after she got pregnant." Gray had no problem imagining Erza's beaming grin as she spoke. "Wendy has been tremendous, too. She's always taking care of everyone, making sure they never overwork. I think she'll be a wonderful team leader one day."

"She learnt from the best," Gray told her idly, chewing on a chunk of ice. "Anyone under your wing is bound to make it in this world."

"Thank you, Gray. That's very kind."

"It's the truth. This journey is gonna change their lives forever." He paused. "We've been to all sortsa places for missions and quests, but this right here? This is us against the world. Very different from a few insane mages. The world doesn't give a shit. It breaks you and makes you. They'll feel that afterwards, and they'll be lucky they had someone as..." stubborn, bull-headed, hardass, "driven to guide them."

"Heh. You're not wrong." A long pause. "I am driven."

There was something off about the way she said it, but Gray couldn't put his finger on it. It lacked energy. Wasn't a declaration to be made with pride, then.

He didn't say anything in response, and neither did Erza. She notified him once they were under 50 miles from target, and the enthusiasm was back in her tone. Whatever had been up with her before, Gray chalked it up to momentary introspection. He hoped, at least.

As he was thinking about it, he reached out to scoop up another chunk of ice. The entire motion lasted about two seconds. If that. And in those two seconds, the weather changed completely.

The sled was buffeted by winds strong enough to take the whole thing off the ground, had there not been weight on it.

"Katabatic!" he and Erza cried in unison, and Gray brought the dogs to a halt immediately before jumping out. They were coming from behind, from the mountain range. If they didn't dig in, they would freeze to death.

Landing on the ice, Gray closed his eyes and placed his palms flat on the ground. Nine feet deep. Good. Won't break. A simple wall wouldn't do it. No, they'd need something more.

Twenty feet by fifteen feet by ten feet. Good enough.

"Ice Make: Cabin!"

Faint lines of magic ran along the ice, pulling on the natural structure to bolster his own force of will. The lines then shot up into the air – ten feet – and ran parallel to the ice, branching out and meeting each other. He could see them with his eyes closed, but he doubted the others could.

It took his magic about two seconds to gain form, which was a bit sluggish, but they soon found themselves in an ice cabin twenty feet long, fifteen feet wide and ten feet tall. Four walls and a ceiling. The walls had a thickness of about a foot and half. Not enough to withstand cannon fire, but enough for the winds. Had he made the walls to resemble ramparts, he'd be all out of magic and gasping on the floor.

"Quick thinking, Gray," Erza told him as she climbed out of the sled and looked around the room. "Impressive."

Gray plopped down on the ice and drew a ragged breath. When Erza complimented him, he chuckled drily. "Thanks. I come in use sometimes."

Natsu and Wendy came out of their sleds too. Lucy tried to get out as well, but Natsu pushed her back down. Luca stayed in his sled, but gave Gray a thumbs up.

Patronising prick.

"Any point in asking how long that's gonna last?" Natsu asked and jerked his thumb towards a wall, which was being battered by the winds.

Erza shook her head. "Could be minutes, could be hours."

"Hey, don't put that out into the universe! You'll jinx us, dammit!"

"Use the time to stretch your legs and eat something," Erza continued, completely ignoring Natsu's little outburst. "Get some rest if you must. I'll be going around to make sure you're drinking enough water, and there better not be any slackers."

She looked straight at Natsu as she said that, and the dragon slayer wilted under her forceful gaze. Gray, watching the scene unfold, snickered unconsciously, causing Natsu to glance at him.

"The heck you laughin' at? Tryna impersonate a hyena or what?"

Suddenly, this felt familiar. Suddenly, it didn't feel like he'd been away for years. It didn't feel like their time apart had changed anything.

Ahh. Feels like home.

Still smiling, Gray crossed his legs and placed his elbow on his knee. Cheek in hand, he said smugly, "I'm laughing at a dumbass who thinks he's too much of a hotshot that he doesn't need water and then gets constipated."

Very clearly, he could see the vein pop on Natsu's forehead. The fire mage ripped off his goggles and cracked his knuckles. "You wanna go, jackass?"

Before Gray could reply, however, Erza pulled the hood of her anorak back and turned to Natsu. "What have I told you about raising your voice, Natsu?" She lowered her goggles, letting them hang off her neck, and the menace radiating from her twitching eyebrows immediately culled Natsu's temper. "D'you want a revision? I'm happy to oblige."

"N-no, ma'am!"

"Hmm." She then turned her glare in Gray, who felt a familiar tingle run up his spine. "You will not instigate this idiot any more. Got that?"

Gray nodded vehemently. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She nodded to herself, and the malevolent aura radiating off her being evaporated instantly. "Now then, let's try to make the most of this and get some rest. Lucy especially. Get some rest. I'm going to update our maps, and will let you know when it's time to start again."

Erza returned to her sled amidst all the murmurs and sat down with her maps and charts. Gray watched her from the floor for a time before rising to his feet and walking over to the others.

"How's it going?" he asked Lucy, sitting on the edge of her sled. "Ride's not too rough, right?"

She shook her head and held out an opened tin of biscuits. "Not at all, not at all! It's much smoother and faster than anything we could've done."

"True that, I guess." Natsu sighed from beside her. "Poking around the pole wasn't part of the plan. We didn't have the equipment to do that."

"Were you going to do another trip, then?" Gray asked, munching on a cream cracker. "You were scheduled to be home by now."

"We would return with a team of researchers, yeah." Wendy nodded. "We can get things done, but we're not scientists. That was going to be our second tour."

"But now that we're here, we might as well do what we can." Lucy beamed. "Man, can't wait to plant the Fairy Tail flag at the Pole! Need to take pictures, too."

"The Fairy Tail flag?" Gray blinked. "Not the flag of Fiore?"

"Both, but the Fairy Tail one first. We promised Mira to bring something badass that could be framed over the counter."

"Fair enough."

Chatting with them like this felt nice. Felt more natural than before. But he didn't linger. Lucy and Wendy both needed to sleep, and Natsu had to keep them warm. He walked off towards Luca after having a couple of biscuits with them.

In his sled, Luca was fast asleep. Gray sat on his haunches by his side and watched him for a while. At seventeen, he couldn't imagine doing this. Leaving the girl he loved behind to go save people he didn't really like. Of course, back then, the girl he loved was always by his side. That had made things much more bearable.

Now, ten years older, he was astounded at the spirit of this young boy. Sighing, he tucked him in a little better, careful not to wake him. Stroked his hair gently.

You're getting yourself a framed photo at the South Pole, too. Brag all you want when we get home.

Luca had gone through the whole ordeal like a champ. Gray had a sneaking suspicion that he would come away hungry for more instead of having had enough. He hoped that the world had enough mysteries left to keep the boy satisfied through life.

Blowing a breath out of his nose, he got up and retraced his steps back to Erza. Found her filling in the blank spaces on her charts while munching on an energy bar. The go-to gourmet food for polar expeditions. Food and water was what took up most of the space for this excursion, and Gray was happy to see her nibbling at something, at least.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

Erza looked up and smiled at him. "Hey." She then held out the bar, offering him a bite. Gray shook his head. "How's Luca?"

"Asleep. He'll be up and about when he has something to do."

"I know. I'm happy to see him again. Only wish it wasn't here."

"C'mon, you know I couldn't stop him from coming."

"I know, I know." She sighed. "But... I don't know. Seems like too tough a thing to go through for someone so young."

"You say that, but you made S-class when you were younger than him."

Erza opened her mouth to retort, then closed it. Her lips quirked into a smirk. "Touche, Gray." She took another bite out of her bar. "Won't you get some rest?"

"I will when you do."

"Solidarity?"

"Nah. Tryna guilt trip you into lying down."

She chuckled. "I will rest when it's time. When I complete the objective. Then I can rest all I want on the way back."

"So, in other words, you'll rest up after you reach the Pole."

"Obviously." She looked at him incredulously. "I need to build up my strength before I climb a mountain."

It was... the most Erza thing she could have said. While Gray wasn't surprised, he didn't relish being right, either. She was just as hopeless as ever.

But wait a second.

"What do you mean you need to build up your strength? Have you been losing it?" He squinted at her. "Are you eating properly?"

In response, Erza held up the energy bar. "See for yourself."

"Erza..."

The sigh that escaped her sounded disgruntled. "Of course, I am. I have to."

That tone meant he had antagonised her inadvertently. It was time to pull back.

Gray nodded. "Good. I need you at full health, or else you'll be dead weight on the climb."

"Pfft. In your dreams." Her smirk was back. "You bet I'm climbing that mountain, and... wait a minute." She rounded on him. "Are you saying that you're climbing with me?"

"Of course. Lucy can't. Natsu and Wendy need to stay with her, and you need an ice mage with you. Luca can handle things on the ground. You need someone to belay with." He smiled. "Don't worry, Erza. I'm stepping into the unknown with you all the way."

Erza stared at him for a long moment before she returned his smile. "I knew it. I expected nothing else from you." She slid ahead to make room for him to sit down behind her. "But for now, let's get to the pole. The winds have abated."

"Hmm?" So distracted he was by her that Gray had forgotten to pay attention to the environment. Now that he listened for it, the noises of the walls getting pounded was absent. "Oh, yeah. Want me to wake the others?"

Erza shook her head. "We're close enough. Let them sleep, and go slower than before. That should do it."

"As the captain commands," Gray muttered and climbed onto his spot. He rather liked being that close to her now. "Onwards, then?"

"Onwards."

Instead of crumbling the building, he merely created an opening wide enough for the sleds and made the dogs start pulling again. Outside, it was calm again. No trace at all of the terrorising winds from a mere half hour before. Erza took a reading to decide their course and they were off again.

"How far away?" he asked and leant back against the sled.

"Forty-six miles."

"Good."

Closing his eyes, his mind immediately went back to the conversation he'd had with her.

I'm stepping into the unknown with you all the way, he'd told her. It was a rather smooth line, Gray had to admit. He was rather proud of it.

Until he realised that in most of the mushy romance novels Erza read, something like that often counted as a confession of romantic feelings.

What the fuck did I say? She even replied with, 'I knew it.' What do you know, Erza? What do you knoooooow?

As the sleds raced on towards the horizon, Gray wondered whether it was possible to sink into the ice and disappear. He was too ashamed to even bring it up again, much less resolve it.

Instead, he hung his head and waited for the blushing to stop, glad more than ever that she had her back to him.

Ice spirits of the Pole, please make sure she forgets I said anything like that, Gray pleaded. My tongue misfired.

Despite his prayers, Gray had a sinking feeling that there were no spirits around to answer him.

The sun set around half past six, but Erza didn't call for a stop. While the sun had disappeared, it's light wouldn't. A bright twilight was now their constant companion and would stay by their side until the sun rose again next morning. And in that twilight, the sleds raced on. How could they stop? The South Pole was less than a mile away.

Erza had urged Gray to speed things up to avoid mushing too late into the night. By the neon hands in Gray's wristwatch, it was almost seven in the evening. They'd been on the road for more than twelve hours. No matter how close they were to their goal, they would have to stop soon. With the sun out of the sky, there was no way to tell how far away they were. At least, that was what he thought.

"The average distance between two latitudes is 69 miles," Erza told him. "According to you, the dogs have been holding steady at twelve miles an hour. Rounded off, that should take us six hours. We crossed the 89th latitude around 1330 hours. We've held the same speed since, so we'll keep going until 1930 and hope for the best."

Half an hour more. Gray hummed against the wind. It was a somewhat reckless plan, but this was Erza. Had he been in her shoes, he probably would've done the same thing. They both had a penchant for choosing the most reckless options. But, with a pregnant woman on board, he wondered whether pushing on ahead was a good ahead.

She's taking this far too seriously. What's with this obsession, Erza? What's pushing you so hard?

On every adventure they had been on together, Erza had always cared for her teammates first and foremost. Had she followed that logic they would've stopped with the sunset. Even before that, back when she'd last visited him in Isvan last year, she had mentioned that she had to do it. Had to take the job. Some things, you have to do. Those were her exact words. He hadn't thought much of it then, but now it stood out in his memory much more prominently.

If she doesn't stop in fifteen minutes, I will.

And yet, with ten minutes left on the clock, Erza said, "Stop the sleds, Gray. As good a place as any to spend the night."

Gray blew out a relieved breath and did exactly that. The sleds lined up side-by-side and he quickly made another, smaller cabin for the party. The dogs and the sleds would remain outside, so there was no need to go all out. After he was done, he walked up to Luca's sled, since the boy had not left it yet, and found him snoozing away soundly.

Luca was notoriously difficult to wake up. Gray usually achieved this by picking up one end of the bedsheet and letting him roll onto the floor, but that would not work here.

Instead, he flicked him on the tip of the nose. It never failed to work like a charm.

Luca sat up with the force of an avalanche. His wild eyes landed on Gray immediately before narrowing dangerously. "You sick fuck. Whawazzat for?"

"You wanna sleep through the discovery of the South Pole?" Gray asked blankly and Luca quieted immediately. "Unless you were aiming for that?"

Luca looked around sheepishly. The sleds had stopped at a barren plain. It was nothing remarkable. Gray had been looking at barren plains ever since he'd landed there.

"Huh." Luca scratched his cheek. "Looks pretty... I dunno. Boring? I expected the South Pole to look more exciting."

"Like what? A dragon's lair?"

"At least a little hill or a finger if rock, y'know." He shrugged. Then he looked up at Gray. "How long have we been here?"

"Two minutes, give or take."

"Huh. Then that makes me the first person to nap at the South Pole." Luca crossed his arms and nodded. "Gotta be some sorta record, eh? Wonder if I'll get paid for that."

Gray smacked his forehead and massaged his whole face the best he could. There was stupid, and then there was... this. His student. Who would one day embody his ideals. A fuckin' numpty.

In retaliation, Gray grabbed the boy's cheeks and pulled them apart. As Luca protested by flouncing around, Gray watched Natsu and Wendy walk Lucy gingerly into the cabin. Crap, she's gonna need someplace to lie down. He let go of Luca's cheeks. "You want somethin' to do?"

"Defs. I been lyin' here sleepin' all day."

"Then go inside and make some bunk beds for them. They brought blankets. They just need something to lie down on."

Luca frowned but then his gaze caught Lucy and he stood up. "Yeah, sure. I got this."

Lucy was right, Gray thought, impressed, as he watched the boy go. Pregnant ladies do get shit done.

It was pretty comfortable inside the cabin. Luca had made double bunk beds for everyone, hugging the walls, and couches and chairs as well. It was moderately well-furnished. If it were a flat in Magnolia, Gray had doubts whether he could afford it.

With some care, Natsu lit a small fire for them to sit around as they ate. Though Luca was silent throughout, he sat by Gray and listened to all the stories being told. Gray himself couldn't have asked for much better. The atmosphere in their little cabin was warm and genial. Natsu told stories about trying to fish by cutting a hole in the ice. Wendy mentioned how she was dubious about the fact that the South Pole had no life and brought up legends passed down to her by Levy.

"There are whole books dedicated to the lost civilisations of the South Pole," she said, and caught Luca's attention immediately. Gray hid his smirk by focusing on his food. "They say that the continent once flourished with life, but a curse froze everything under layers and layers of immovable ice. Lost until the rightful heir returns."

"And, what? Pulls a sword out of the stone?" Natsu asked, sounding half-dubious.

"Maybe that's what's hidden atop the mountains?" Lucy ventured. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"No one can say for certain," Wendy said with a mysterious sigh.

Erza let them prattle on while she finished her hoosh. When she was done, she placed her ice bowl on the ice table and clapped her hands, drawing all their attention to herself.

"I think we all realise that this isn't the South Pole." Luca immediately shot Gray a dirty look. "We might be close, but I'd be very surprised if we got it right. Which means tomorrow morning, we have some more work to do. Our first job is to find the 90th parallel coming from North. Once we do, we have to take into account sextant error.

"Every sextant can have some error, so we have to be certain. We'll split into three groups – teams of two – and go twenty miles East, West and South respectively. Once there, we'll all calculate the South Pole from our respective positions. The intersection of those four readings is probably the most accurate we can aim to be." She paused and looked around the room. "Questions?"

There were none. It was a logical and scientific solution to the problem at hand, and nobody found fault with it. Gray wondered what these teams would look like while secretly hoping he got paired with Erza. It was unlikely to happen, but he could hope.

"Every team should have at least one person who can use a sextant," Erza went on. "That's four of us. Luca, do you know how to work a sextant?"

"Yeah," the boy replied awkwardly. He didn't like being put in the spotlight all of a sudden. "Kinda. Basic stuff."

Okay, time to help him out.

"Since when?" Gray asked incredulously. "Never seen you do shit with a sextant. You don't even have one."

"I learnt on survival island," Luca returned without batting an eye. He even managed to sound unimpressed. Gray smirked inwardly. "Just because you don't know doesn't mean I can't. Didn't you say that your ceiling was gonna be my floor? Well, I'm building upwards! So, there."

"Impressive," Lucy said, smiling. "I didn't know how to work a sextant at your age. That's really great."

Immediately, all of Luca's bluster evaporated. He ducked his head and muttered, "Th-thanks."

"Why don't you go with Lucy tomorrow, Luca?" Erza suggested. "Using the sled would be most effective for her, and you're a capable ice mage. You can lead the dogs."

"Wha-" Luca began, but Lucy cut him off.

"Ohh, that'd do me a solid! I'll be in your care, Luca!"

"Ehhh?!"

Turning away from Luca's shamefaced expression, Gray caught Natsu's eye and raised his chin a little. A silent message. You okay with that?

Natsu smiled and nodded. Yeah.

That was all that needed to be said. Even after all these years, Gray was happy that he could communicate the same way with his old friends. They always spoke in little ways like that. Always had.

Realising that made him feel a lot less on edge. Even more than before. A kind of giddy lightness persisted in his stomach and he took it to bed with him. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't sleeping alone.

I'm in the same room as my best friends, he told himself as he lay in his bunk, listening to all the familiar patterns of snoring and mumbling from the different beds. Wendy was silent as always, while Erza's snoring was quiet. Natsu's sleep mumbling hadn't gotten any better. In fact, it had gotten worse. He felt bad for Lucy.

Given all that, Gray couldn't keep the smile off his face. This moment right here is proof that the past can be forgotten. He was convinced. Things would only get better and better.

That night, Gray slept better than he had in years.