A/N: Hello everyone! I'm in the middle of watching Fairy Tail and I really love the Gray/Lucy pairing. I know that the show going towards Lucy/Natsu and Gray/Juvia but it's too late, I've already fallen for this ship. Please forgive any inconsistencies since I haven't finished the show or read the manga, and feel free to place this story wherever you want.

I. Lucy's List

It all started when she took her notebook out of her room.

Lucy usually wrote at her desk. It was a comfort zone - the place she penned frequent letters to her deceased mother and drafted many chapters of her novels. Today though, she wanted a change of scenery. She was writing at her favorite place in the world, the Fairy Tail guild hall.

She sat on the floor with her back against a barrel of ale and her knees folded up, holding her notebook in her lap. The majority of people in the building were currently eating lunch or browsing the job boards. For the most part, nobody bothered her as she scribbled furiously, tuning out the ring of cordial chatter. She didn't even notice the ink flying out of her pen and splattering on her nose. Suddenly, a familiar voice brought her back to her senses.

"Oh, Lucy!" sang the voice. She looked up and saw it was Mirajane, waving at her from behind the bar. "So sorry to interrupt, but could I ask you something?"

"Mira! Sure, I'll be right there" Lucy paused her writing and joined her at the bar, plopping down her pen and notebook. Mirajane was holding an enormous, Cana-worthy mug of ale. She set the mug down and nudged it towards Lucy.

"Lucy, you never answered my question from before" Mirajane pouted.

"Um, what question?" asked Lucy, taking a sip. She racked her brains for what they could have talked about. Friends, quests, Sorcerer Weekly...

"Don't you think Gray loves you?"

"I...um...he...what?!" Lucy stammered, dribbling ale down her chin. "That was such a long time ago! I thought we went over this!" She couldn't believe Mirajane bought up the subject so out of the blue. It suddenly occurred to her that the ale was a bribe.

"Oh, you said something about not wanting to go through that again. I thought that meant you had already asked him about it" she said smiling innocently. "So what do you think? You two would be so cute!"

"There's no way Mira!" she protested. Damn right she didn't want to go through a whole day like that again! She'd fooled herself into thinking Natsu was secretly in love with her when he literally just wanted to dig a hole. By the end of that day, she wanted to shove herself in a hole out of sheer embarrassment. "Where is this even coming from? We're just friends!"

"Come on Lucy, look at him! He's so dreamy" she said, staring at the spot at the far end of the guild hall. Lucy turned her head to see, and Gray was sitting at a window table, playing cards with Loke. He was actually wearing a shirt today but he'd unbuttoned it all the way down, exposing his perfect abs. The sunlight streaked across his whole body and illuminated his raven black hair. There was no way around it, he was attractive.

She turned back to Mira and sighed. "Alright, he's objectively good looking, but I don't know where you got the idea from that he likes me"

"Juvia seems to think so too."

"Are you serious?! That's Juvia being jealous, she'd accuse Gray of being in love with his own chair since his ass is touching it-"

"And didn't Happy say you guys were in love too?" interrupted Mirajane.

"Oh gosh, that's because Gray was being protective. Even Virgo said we were in love" said Lucy, making air quotes around the 'in love' part.

"That's another one! And what about your other celestial spirits, the twins? Didn't they read his character?"

"Gemini?" she asked, surprised. "Wait, how do you know about that one, you weren't even - "

"And now you're hearing it from me. I've noticed him flirting and whispering with you all the time" Mirajane smiled again and clasped her hands together under her chin. "That's five people that have accused Gray of loving you. Six if you count each twin. I really believe it's something to consider Lucy"

Lucy faltered. She didn't have any more comebacks. Mirajane did have a point, that it was five times, five different people who thought there was something between her and Gray. She clutched her notebook tightly. Maybe writing down reasons why Gray would like her would help. She could rationalize their comments and see if the words had any merit.

"Alright, Mira...I will acknowledge everyone's opinion...I need time to think it over though" she said. She grabbed a few empty, wooden ale mugs and created a wall around her notebook with them. "Don't peek, alright?"

"Ooh, are you going to write it down?" asked Mirajane.

"Only because it helps me sort out how I feel". Then she glanced around, to see if Gray or anyone else was nearby. "And promise me you won't tell anyone we discussed this."

Mirajane smiled and nodded. She understood that Lucy liked to keep her work private. "I won't even peek" she promised. "But make sure you wipe that ink off your nose before talking to Gray!" She winked and went back to her bartending duties, leaving Lucy to write her thoughts alone.

Lucy opened her notebook to a fresh page and picked up her black pen. She preferred writing novels, but there was no reason you couldn't add a little embellishment to a list.

She took a giant gulp of ale and began...

"Reasons why Gray Fullbuster (gifted ice mage and owner of the best abs in Magnolia) could like Lucy HeartFilia (newcomer blonde celestial wizard)"

"Reason #1: Juvia and Lucy are 'love rivals"

Lucy remembered the day Juvia decided to join Fairy Tail. Those that didn't know about her fight with Gray were confused, to say the least, on why she would join the very guild Phantom Four wanted to defeat. Once Gray offered her a second chance, there was no doubt about it - she would take root wherever he was.

Little did Gray know, his kind invitation to Juvia would cripple her progress indefinitely. Sure, she needed a new home after her own guild's breakdown. But when Lucy joined Fairy Tail, she also wanted to advance herself as a mage. Juvia, on the other hand, seemed to not care about any quests unless they involved Gray. Lucy estimated that Juvia spent eighty percent of her time stalking her crush, fifteen percent of her time threatening every woman who dared to go near him, and only five percent training.

The day she joined, the water woman had bowed her head in apology to Lucy, and asked for forgiveness. At the time, she seemed well-meaning and Lucy believed they would be friends very soon. The next encounter was much different. She was eating a sandwich and reading a magazine at one of the guild hall tables when Juvia came up to her. Her face seemed more determined this time like she was not about to ask but to inform.

"Miss Lucy," said Juvia. "I have something important to talk about"

"What's up Juvia?" asked Lucy. Her hands twitched and she placed her sandwich down.

"Juvia would like to know your relationship with Gray because Juvia is determined to win his heart from you"

"Oh, me and Gray are just good friends!" Lucy responded, waving her hands in a 'no' pattern. "I'm not trying to win his heart"

Juvia shook her head in firm disagreement. "Juvia believes you have already won it...she knows a love rival when she sees one. Gray would do anything for Lucy. Gray even said he would not hand her over even if he dies..." Juvia went quiet and clenched her hand, causing water to drip from it to the ground.

"Look, I don't want to be rivals-wait, he would die for me?" She paused and let her comment register in her mind. It was not a surprising trait from Gray, but Lucy felt touched that he cared about her so much when she hadn't been in his life for long at all.

"Will Lucy back off of Gray, for Juvia?" she asked. She spoke with such force that Lucy was afraid to say no.

She drew a big breath. She didn't want to make any enemies at Fairy Tail, and she truly wanted Juvia to feel at home. But Lucy was also not about to let Juvia intimidate her into cutting ties with one of her best friends, solely because of jealousy.

"Look Juvia...I'm not going to stop spending time with Gray for anyone. I like going on missions with him and talking to him and hanging out with him in the guild." She paused, gauging if Juvia was ready to drown her yet, and decided to continue. "If he wants to date you...he's going to have to realize that path on his own"

It seemed like a whole century passed before Juvia finally responded. "Juvia thought you might say something like that" she spoke in a low, soft voice. "Then, Juvia must do everything in her power to make Gray choose her. Gray will belong to Juvia"

"That's...that's fine...as long as it's what he wants. I think we're on the same page now, right?" said Lucy. She wasn't actually so sure. Juvia seemed to think of Gray as a possession that would make her cloudy days disappear instead of a person. She could only hope everyone would come to respect one another. She cautiously extended her hand forward. "Friends?"

Juvia unclenched her hand, which was now covered in water droplets, and shook Lucy's. "Friends. And love rivals". Lucy locked eyes with her steely gaze and knew their friendship would evaporate if she ever dated Gray.

"Ok whatever, love rivals" she shrugged. Juvia had locked in her decision, and there was no way to escape her fate. Lucy couldn't help it if she was a contender. "May the best girl win" she joked.

It was the wrong thing to say. Juvia took her comment like a bullet straight to the heart. The blue haired water mage slammed her fists on the table, making water splashes when they connected.

"She WILL win! Juvia will NOT go back!" cried Juvia. Heads turned to watch both of them as her loud declaration echoed through the guild hall. Then Juvia gathered herself and her pride and stormed out of the building to search for Gray.

She had her first reason, but it was based on one woman's judgment. She also needed opinions from people who didn't have insane imaginations. Underneath 'love rivals' she wrote 'part of the circle of people Gray would die for'. Sure, that was flattering, but who knows how big that circle was? Gray had a noticeable self-sacrifice streak, as she'd witnessed firsthand on Galuna Island.

Love rivals. Why was she a love rival, and not Erza? She had no doubts Gray cared deeply for Erza as well as his other friends. Why did Juvia continuously get jealous of her? Maybe the other people Mirajane mentioned would give her a hint.

Lucy cringed when she remembered the next entry wasn't even a person, it was Natsu's cat.

"Reason 2: Gray is protective of Lucy"

Gray offered to walk home with Lucy the night he heard she had a stalker. Despite the objections from Natsu and Happy wanting to come along, he turned and ignored them, putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Well goodbye then! And don't even think about trying something you perv!" Natsu called out after them. "Let's go Happy". The pair walked away, muttering.

"Come on Lucy," said Gray, gently steering her forward with his hand still on her shoulder as she looked back at Natsu and Happy. They left the two behind and walked slowly in her apartment's direction. The only things left were their footsteps echoing in the night, and dark clouds eclipsing a bright full moon behind them. Lucy realized that they were alone, and could felt her face getting warm for some reason. She turned her head a little so Gray couldn't see.

"Gray...thank you for watching out for me today" She truly appreciated his concern for her safety, and that she didn't even ask him to do it. She was grateful that it was dark out and he couldn't see how warm her cheeks felt.

"No problem Lu" he responded. She didn't see his reaction because she was still too embarrassed to look.

They continued walking in silence. Lucy dared to peek back at Gray. He was fixated on watching for her supposed stalker. Every so often he would shift his head in a new direction, watching for more potential threats. Lucy noticed he seemed to be looking in every direction but hers. No sooner had the thought popped into her head when his dark blue eyes landed on her brown ones. He froze, like someone who was caught in the act, then looked away and began to walk faster.

"Come on, the sooner I get you home the better" He continued walking at an even brisker pace, not looking in Lucy's direction anymore.

Lucy chuffed behind, feeling disappointed for some reason. Did he want to be rid of her so quickly? Her heart sunk with every block they finished running. At the third block, she wished she could see more than the back of his head. At the fifth block, she contemplated stopping to see if he would notice the missing sound of her footsteps, but decided against it. Rounding the corner of the sixth block she almost opened her mouth to yell at him. After the seventh block, she'd had enough. She decided to tell him to slow down.

"Gray, can we-"

He had already stopped. She caught up a few seconds later and saw her own front door. Their journey was already over. How did that seem so short?

Gray put his hand on her shoulder again, this time gazing into her eyes. Lucy's eyes widened as he moved closer to her face., wondering if he was about to kiss her. She didn't even know if she could make it, she'd lost her breath three blocks ago.

"Lucy...you stay safe, alright? Don't hesitate to send for help" His eyes lingered on hers for a few seconds longer than necessary, then he let go of her.

"Thank you for everything Gray," she said, unable to hide the blush this time as the clouds broke and moonlight shone directly on her face. She turned to go inside her apartment and waved good night at him, half dejected and half relieved that nothing else happened. Gray was still watching intently.

"Good night Lu" she heard him say as she closed the door.

It definitely wasn't the only time Gray was extra protective. She remembered when he shielded her body from a swinging boat in Edolas when he had Happy carry her out of harm's way in Galuna Island. She drew a little caret between 'is' and 'protective' and added a single word- "Always"

It could just be watching out for her as a teammate. But Erza didn't shield her like that. Natsu had never followed her like that. And Gray had never refuted Happy's statement, just told him to scram. It could be something.

But it wasn't enough proof. Protectiveness also came with sibling bonds, and she needed evidence of a romantic bond.

"Reason #3: Gray considers Lucy attractive"

Laundry was such a boring chore. Lucy's clothes went through a lot of tears, mud, and magic attacks on their missions. She hated to see her favorite clothes get ruined, but going through her dirty clothes was tedious and depressing. So much so, that Lucy put it off until she woke up and didn't have a single outfit left.

"Crap" she muttered, wondering if she'd have to dig in her pile for the least dirty one. Maybe she could borrow some clothes from the celestial world like last time. She grabbed her set of keys and quickly found the golden one she was searching for.

"Open, gate of the maiden! Virgo!" A moment later, the pink-haired spirit was standing on her living room carpet.

"What can I do for you, Princess?" asked Virgo. She glanced around and did a double take when she saw the monstrous pile of dirty clothes that was in the corner. The laundry pile was so high she was sure she wouldn't even be able to reach the top.

"Ahh...I know this seems pretty trivial, but I was wondering if you could bring back some clothes from the celestial world again? I don't have any more clean clothes" asked Lucy. She saw a wave of relief wash over Virgo's face at not being asked to do laundry.

"Of course," said Virgo, nodding. "Miss Lucy, would you like to look at the celestial wardrobe? We have a rather large selection"

"I get to raid the closet?" asked Lucy, her eyes brightening up. Virgo smiled and offered her hand. She took it and a flash of light later, they went through the gate to the celestial world.

Lucy opened her eyes to the biggest collection of clothes she had ever seen. There were tops and dresses of every color on hangers- some with dangerously plunging necklines, some with spaghetti straps so thin she was sure they would snap within a day. Below the tops hung pants and skirts that varied from 'short enough to be underwear' to 'long enough to swallow her whole'. The closet displayed every type of shoe possible in racks on the floor. She fantasied about being able to both fight and balance in the black stiletto heels nearest to her. Finally, there was a mirror that took up an entire wall on its own.

"This is amazing" she worded breathlessly. She picked up the high heels and held them to her chest. They were gorgeous, but she didn't want them to be another victim of guild roughhousing.

"Is there any type of clothing you were wishing for, in particular, Miss Lucy? Perhaps something Mister Gray would admire again? He was staring quite a bit at the outfit I lent you at the Tower of Heaven" said Virgo innocently.

Before Lucy could respond, she heard a familiar voice ring out from a wall of dresses.

"If you're wondering what clothes Gray would like to see Lucy in, the answer is 'none at all'" said a smirking Loke, stepping out of the shadows.

Lucy's jaw dropped. "Loke! What...what are you doing here?"

Loke walked up next to Lucy, who was still clutching the black high heels. He was completely dressed to the nines in a dashing black suit, leather shoes, and a burgundy bow tie. "Who do you think picks out the clothes? Well, Cancer helped too. But he prefers working with hair"

"Loke, don't tease her, most of your choices were for the men's closet," said Virgo, covering her giggling with her hand. "

Lucy was still recovering from Loke's casual comment on Gray seeing her naked when Loke took a summery, spaghetti strap dress off a hanger and presented it to Virgo. It was a robin-egg blue instead of royal blue like she'd seen in most celestial outfits and had pleats from the waist down. "What do you think? Gray would like this one for sure"

Lucy sputtered "I-what makes you think I pick my clothes for Gray? I want cute clothes for me! Not him!"

"Well the man's a fan of your body, and he's one of my best friends, so...we might as well select clothes that highlight that body," he said, now picking up and examining a pair of stockings.

Lucy gave him a playful smack on the back for his debauchery. Loke didn't seem to mind though and handed both the blue dress and the stockings to Virgo. "Of course, if you're not seeing Gray today we could just give you a t-shirt and some pajama shorts," he said, pulling out shorts from a drawer. The shorts were rose pink and had a repeating pattern of horses that looked suspiciously a lot like Sagittarius.

"I believe our Princess will be too busy with her laundry" agreed Virgo. Lucy was so flustered at this point she was ready to take the ugliest outfit in the entire closet just to spite Loke. She grabbed the pajama shorts from him and a nearby turtleneck from the hangers. Turtlenecks were the least sexy clothes she could think of, and the only man who would be turned on by these horse pajamas was Sagittarius himself.

"Yeah, I've definitely learned my lesson" she muttered. One, don't procrastinate on laundry. Two, don't visit the celestial wardrobe while Loke was there unless she wanted to be teased mercilessly. She turned to Virgo and said "I've got my clothes; I'm ready to go"

"If you're sure Princess," said Virgo, eyeing the Sagittarius pajamas doubtfully.

Loke put a hand on Lucy's shoulder and bowed his head. "I'm sorry Lucy. I didn't mean to take it that far. I really do like to help women feel beautiful"

Lucy gazed back at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I...it's alright. Maybe I'll try that blue dress another time. I'm sure it was a good recommendation"

A mischievous look returned to Loke's face as he said: "Did you know Gray has a thing for horses?"

Lucy gave him the middle finger this time as he howled with laughter on the floor. She smiled and waved goodbye as she and Virgo walked back through the gate.

"Princess, is it time for punishment?" asked Virgo

"Actually...yeah," said Lucy. Virgo's ears perked up and she held up a pair of handcuffs.

"Not that kind. Please go fetch me the detergent"

Lucy was no stranger to having men stare at her. There were times when it got uncomfortable, like when that man was Ichiya or Dan Straight. But with Gray, she didn't mind at all. She knew that he respected her and that his compliments were nothing but sincere. In fact, it was a relief to remember that not every guy she attracted was a creep.

She was beginning to get an eerie feeling in her stomach that Mirajane was right.

When it was just one person's offhand comment, she ignored it. Now that she had all their opinions together, she was starting to believe her. The most convincing reason of all was the one she'd pushed to the back of her brain because it made her feel guilty.

"Reason 4: Gemini can relay people's thoughts."

Lucy's newest celestial spirit was entertaining her with facts about her fellow guildmates. So far she had learned she was Natsu's second favorite person to go on quests with (after Happy). In the process, Gemini-Natsu broke a vase while emulating Natsu's enthusiasm.

"Oh man, I love having Lucy on my team! She's gotten so good, and she got three new celestial spirits too! Gemini's my favorite!" said the Gemini-Natsu, prancing around her apartment.

Lucy cringed, looking at the broken vase shards all over her floor. "How about Erza?"

Gemini flashed and in Natsu's place stood the scarlet-haired fighter. She closed her eyes and smiled, pointing a sword at the floor.

"Erza's thoughts about Lucy: Great potential. Faithful friend and teammate. Abuses her good looks. "

"Hey! How do I abuse my looks?" Lucy protested.

Gemini-Ezra pointed her sword at her. "Seducing the enemy. It's a cop-out method. I want you to beat them to bits instead!"

"Oh, don't pretend like you haven't done that too," she said, rolling her eyes.

"It's different. If seduction doesn't work for me, I can always kill a man with my bare hands. Here, let me show you how" Erza threw her sword aside and cracked her knuckles.

Lucy didn't want more collateral damage from Erza so she ordered Gemini to switch. A moment later, Gray appeared where she'd stood. He opened his palm and formed a small puff of magic. When the puff disappeared he held a single rose, created from ice.

"Gray's thoughts on Lucy..."

Lucy gulped. "Wait, we've already done Gray. I don't want to...I mean, I've intruded his thoughts enough"

"Oh, were you uncomfortable with the part where he was fond of your looks?" Gemini stepped closer to her, still holding the rose. She felt her face getting flushed. It somehow seemed wrong hearing thoughts like this. She needed to dismiss Gemini before it went any further.

"Or the part where he was interested in you?" Gemini smirked.

"I would rather hear that directly from him!"

Gemini transformed again, this time into Lucy. Gemini-Lucy started twirling her blonde hair while real Lucy started back.

"Lucy's feelings about Gray. Brilliant ice-make wizard. Loyal friend. Looks are a plus. Wants him to directly tell her he's into her."

Lucy shrieked and pointed her key at Gemini furiously.

"I'm not having you read my own mind, it's confusing in there as it is, thanks!"

Still posed as herself, the twin spirits winked at Lucy. Then with a flash of light, they returned back to the celestial world.

The only reason for Gemini to have lied about Gray's thoughts was if the spirit had been trying to defeat her through the element of surprise. Then again, all its other statements were accurate, so why would they only lie once? If the twins had really wanted to shock her, they should have said something like 'Gray is in love with Natsu' or 'Gray hates ice cream'.

Lucy added an apology underneath Reason #4 -"Sorry we read your mind like that". Gray would never see it, but it made her feel better anyway. Now, what particular incident would make Mirajane think Gray enjoyed flirting with her? Perhaps the ale was making it hard to remember...she took one final sip and could feel the alcohol hitting her bloodstream...which also brought back one more particular memory.

"Reason #5: Gray looks for excuses to flirt with Lucy"

It was a particularly hot day in Magnolia, and Lucy had spent way too much of it in the sun. Why oh why, didn't she complete her chores yesterday? She walked into the guild hall, exhausted. She needed to hydrate.

She made her way to the bar and tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak. "Miraaa"

"Oh, you poor dear!"

Luckily Mirajane had spotted her, and swiftly poured a glass of water. Lucy drank three glasses in a row and definitely felt a lot better.

"You look like you could use a shower"

Lucy whipped her head around and saw Gray, pulling up a chair next to her and sitting down.

"What? How rude!" she sputtered.

"I only meant that you're pretty sweaty. Been outside all day, huh?"

"I had a lot of errands to run. And even so, you still shouldn't go around insinuating that people look bad" she said, scowling. He ignored her irritation and picked up one of the bar menus.

"You never look bad," he said, nonchalantly rifling through the menu. He paused at a certain page and glanced back up at Lucy. "Ever tried a margarita?"

"What's a margarita?" she asked. Her dad never really let her try alcoholic drinks, so she was used to beer and wine.

"It's a cocktail, you'll like it. A bit of sweet, a bit of sour, a bit of ice, and a good helping of tequila. That is if you're me" he chuckled. "I'll ask Mirajane for some if you'd like. There's nothing like a nice cold drink after a long day". He waved down their bartender and she came back with two pale yellow drinks.

Lucy took a sip of hers and could somehow taste all the ingredients at once- there was tart lime, a syrupy sweetness, and a hint of table salt. The drink was ice cold when it hit her lips, but the tequila left her with a warm feeling inside her stomach. She smiled for the first time that day and gazed up from her drink to see Gray smiling back at her.

"They're pretty tasty, aren't they?" he said, taking a sip of his.

She agreed, and they enthusiastically finished off both of their glasses. The margarita made her feel like she was floating on air, and she desperately wanted another.

"Mira, could we have another pair of those?"

"Oh my, already?" Mirajane checked over her two guests. They seemed alright, but she knew Lucy wasn't used to cocktails. She made the margaritas and made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

"Thank you!" Lucy grinned. Why did anyone even drink beer? These were so much tastier. She told Gray about her day as she sipped on her second margarita. It was a pretty boring story, but he paid attention the whole time.

She giggled. "I can't believe you sat through that. Tell me about your day Gray!"

"Well...it was about as exciting as yours," said Gray. "I practiced some ice magic with Lyon. Then we decided it was too hot to keep training and I took a nap. And now I'm with you" He reached forward and ruffled her hair.

"Hey, you're messing up my hair," said Lucy, still giggling. His hands tickled her scalp and glided through her long, blonde locks. She didn't really mind Gray playing with her hair. In fact, it felt relaxing. But something made her move her own hands to his hair. She started ruffling it as he'd done to her, watching her small hands get lost in the black waves.

"There, now yours is messy too," she said, smiling in satisfaction. Of course, since his hair was usually messy he looked as good as ever. Their faces were a lot closer together now than before. Gray stared at her eyes for a second before pulling away. He reached up to touch her hair again.

"I- I like your hair...it's pretty...and soft" he slurred, struggling to put the words together. This time he held the bottom strands or her hair and began twirling them. His second glass was almost empty. When she gazed into his face, she could tell the only thing he cared about at the moment was her. What was going on outside from the two of them sitting on these bar stools didn't matter.

For some reason, Lucy decided to get up from her chair so she could pat Gray's hair again. When she stood up, the room started spinning. Too late, she realized she'd drank the alcohol too fast. She closed her eyes and started falling, down into a world of black.

"Lucy!" rang not one, but three voices. She recognized them as Gray, Mirajane, and Happy. Mirajane and Happy must have been monitoring her.

She felt Gray's arm catch her stomach before she hit the ground. He grunted, his reflexes not as quick as they would have been if he were sober.

"Lucy, go drink some water. Happy, please take Gray and Lucy home" ordered Mirajane.

Unfortunately, what Lucy would associate most with that evening would not be the cute flirtations with Gray. She remembered Happy carrying her to her apartment. And waking up with the worst hangover she'd had in her life.

Visions of all the shoulder touches, all the times he offered to ice her sores, all their whispered conversations, flew through her mind like a vivid movie. How could she not see it before? For years, Lucy thought love was something she had to go out and find. She'd kissed boys she wasn't attracted to and went on dates with strangers, each time hoping it would blossom into something beautiful.

But what it was here all along?

She was trembling with excitement as she finished her list with small hearts. Now, what to do? She had compelling evidence...as well as a gut feeling. Did she even like him? Why didn't Gray ever tell her?

"Do I ask him?" she wondered aloud.

"If you don't ask him, I will," said a cool, female voice from behind her shoulder.

Lucy shrieked and spun around to see Erza hovering behind her. She had read every single word.

What will Lucy do now that she's been caught? Stay tuned for Chapter Two.

One more list - Reviews that would make me happy, or just some ideas if you're like me and don't know what to write in reviews.

1) Constructive criticism. Unless you count the cringey story I wrote when I was twelve (which I would rather not) this is my first fanfiction.

2) Tell me which flashback was your favorite! The one I had the most fun writing was the closet raid with Loke and Virgo

3) Headcanon - who else besides Mirajane and Loke do you think would ship Gray & Lucy?

4) GrayLu appreciation posts. Tell me why you ship them :)

5) "I liked it". No matter how long or short it is I'm going to appreciate it so don't worry if that's all you can think of.

Thank you for reading!