I do not own Fairy Tail.

Gray's fingertips brushed along the spines of the books lining the wooden shelves inside the bookstore. He wasn't looking for anything, just simply passing time while Lucy browsed alongside him. He had not discussed the previous night with anyone, hoping it would just dissipate into the past. However, he was not all that surprised when Lucy sighed and turned to him with her hands on her hips. "Gray, are you going to tell me how the date went?"

He stilled his hand, landing on a book with the title Heart's Slaughter, and he smiled tightly as he thought how relevant the name was to what he was about to say. "Ah, well, instead of complimenting her appearance, I insulted the sidewalk."

The blonde woman stared at him in blank disbelief. "No you did not."

Gray nodded and said, "And that was actually the best part of the evening." Gray relayed the events of the evening in a distant tone, hoping to keep himself from getting worked up about it once again. He considered leaving out the more unpleasant details, but if he was going to ask anyone for advice, it was Lucy.

Lucy leafed through a large book as she said, "So what are you going to do about it? Do you think she was serious?"

Gray shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to say since she was so drunk. If she was so unhappy about being there, why did she agree to go?"

The celestial wizard looked at him with pity in her eyes. "Do you really think that's why she was drinking? Gray, she was nervous and wanted things to go so well, and she just got carried away. Really it isn't that different than you taking off your clothes in the restaurant."

Gray glowered at her, but did not argue. Silence returned as Lucy directed her attention to the book and he strode over to the rack of magazines. He picked up an issue of Sorcerer Weekly, scanning the cover. A man stood next to him looking at the same magazine, and he said, "Hey, man, have you heard of MiraJane from the Fairy Tail guild? She's the center fold this month. You should take a look, her body is delicious."

Gray clenched his jaws, tossing down the magazine that had been in his hands. His punch entirely surprised the man, knocking him to the floor. "Hey, you sick pervert, don't talk about her like that! She isn't a hunk of meat for you to drool over! She is a human being, the best human being, so shut the hell up!" He reached down and pulled the magazine from the hands of the cowering man on the floor, rolled it up, and began to whack him on the head with it.

"Gray!" Lucy's rough voice soared across the store. "What the hell are you doing?" She marched over to him, pulling the magazine from his hands. Gray turned to her, ready to explain himself, but was interrupted by the pervert climbing to his feet and swinging a punch at Gray's face. Gray yelled out as the blow connected with his right cheekbone. That's gonna leave a mark, he thought angrily.

Gray was gearing up to retaliate when he saw the plump store owner marching toward them, waving her hands spastically. "Out, out, get out," she yelled then chased them from the store with a broom.

Most of the guild members had already eaten their lunch, so Mira was busy cleaning up the serving area. As she wiped the counter with a cleaning solution, she heard the thump that signaled someone entering the hall. She looked up to find Gray strutting roughly through the room, with Lucy bobbing along behind him. He stopped at the counter long enough to grab a banana from a bowl then began to walk away. As he was reaching for the fruit MiraJane noticed that the right side of his face was bruised and concern filled her. "Oh, Gray, what happened?"

He whirled around to look at her through narrow eyes. "And since when do you care what happens to me?" He didn't wait for an answer, but whisked out of the guild hall, leaving an icy chill behind him.

MiraJane watched him go, holding the cleaning rag in a limp hand. She could admit that her actions from the night before had been inappropriate, but it was hardly a reason for him to be so mean to her. Since when do I care, she thought sadly. I've always cared, Gray. I care so much. Tears trickled down her cheeks and she balled up the rag, spiking it onto the counter top with a squishy thud. She squeezed her eyes tightly until she could calm herself down, and when she opened her eyes, Lucy was standing in front of her with a sympathetic look on her face. Mira quickly wiped away the remaining tears, plastered a smile on her face, and cheerily said, "Oh, hi, Lucy! How are you doing today?"

Lucy shook her head, sitting on a stool. "Mira, cut the crap. You have some things to explain. Why are you crying? After what you did last night, he assumes you don't care, and I can't entirely disagree with him."

"Oh, Lucy, I do care about Gray. I care a lot." The need to take care of others took over and she retrieved a square piece of strawberry cake for Lucy, sliding it across the counter. "Last night I was just so nervous, and I thought wine would help, but I over-did it."

"That's basically what I told him," Lucy muttered around a mouthful of cake. She swallowed and continued, "But if you care so much, why did you tell him that you didn't want to see him anymore?"

Mira spotted the stool she kept behind the counter and pulled it over so she could sit and talk with Lucy. She also grabbed the entire cake from the kitchen, plopping it on the bar top and cutting herself a large piece. "I said it because I was drunk and alarmed at the evening's events. I was more upset with myself than I was with him."

Lucy pointed her fork at Mira and countered, "Mira, you slapped him in the face."

Mira licked a bit of frosting from her finger before saying, "Again, I was drunk, and he accused me of doing exactly what I had done, and I didn't appreciate it." She met Lucy's eyes and the two of them giggled at the absurdity of her statement. Once they settled, Mira sighed. "Lucy, do you think he would forgive me? Is it even worth trying?"

The celestial wizard enthusiastically munched a strawberry as she thought about her answer. "Well, Gray cares about you, and you care for him. Maybe if you think about what it is you like about him that would help?"

"I already did that with Lisanna, and I think he's worth the trouble." Silence fell between the women as they contemplated the problem at hand while each cutting another slice of cake to set on their plates. "Lucy, what did happen to his face?"

"Oh, I totally forgot to tell you, didn't I? Some guy made an inappropriate comment about a picture of you in a magazine and Gray punched him! The pervert landed a hit before the two of them got thrown out of the store, though."

Mira gently set her fork down on the plate, causing a clink sound. A pleasant smile danced on her lips as she realized that Gray had been hurt while protecting her, in a roundabout way. He was defending her, at least. It had not been his fault that their date the previous night had gone all wrong, or that she had been offended by him pointing the blame at her. An apology was necessary, but he was not going to be the one to give it. She grinned at Lucy and said, "Thanks for talking with me! If you see Lisanna, please ask her to watch the counter!" The pale-haired woman then sprinted out of the hall, determined to find Gray Fullbuster and apologize for her terrible behavior.