Warning, there is… plot in this one. (Where did that come from?)
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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Theoretically, Gray is perfectly fine with the cloak situation as Lucy had described it to him. If it was stopping her from having nightmares, he really has no recourse but to accept whatever his little sister discovered comfort in – short of drugs and alcohol and casual sex with strangers and extreme sports and… maybe he should stop there. It hurts that she hadn't come to him, though. Actually, it feels like someone took one of Gajeel's iron spikes and is using Erza's giant hammer to pound it into his heart. But he digresses.
His acceptance becomes much less theoretical the instant Lucy and Rogue start interacting with each other. There's something about the sight that rankles. Although he'd never gotten the opportunity to meet or even catch a glimpse of the Future Rogue, Gray's heard enough in the silence and evasions within Natsu, Lucy, Loke, Wendy, and even the Exceeds' explanations of the events that had transpired inside the palace. Piecing together what was left unsaid paints a crude yet serviceable picture of what went down while the rest of Fairy Tail was celebrating their victory over Sabertooth. Gray's stomach churns still at the suffering endured that night, and at the loss of his other sister, Ultear. He wishes he could have properly introduced her to Lyon. The Lamia Scale mage's face upon discovering family after all this time would have been priceless. Both Gray and Lyon had been robbed of their family once again.
Gray can't help but blame Rogue somewhat for that missed opportunity and for Lucy's sorrow. Unlike Natsu, Gray isn't able to process and move past things like that so easily. It's the only thing Gray will ever acknowledge that the Flame Brain has him beat at. The current era's Rogue has done nothing wrong. Yet. That doesn't mean someone shouldn't keep an eye on the latent homicidal maniac, though.
By that logic, it's only right that Rogue assist Lucy now – as he was the source of her pain then and her current nightmares.
Although, Gray is beginning to wonder if the cloak was really her only reason for making the trek to Sabertooth. He'd watched over her the entire way. Not knowing at the time why she was stomping about in the downpour and howling winds, he had tried to call out to her several times only for his words to be ripped away by the storm. Then he'd stopped trying to gain her attention, and stuck to observing her progress. Intending to stop her if it became too dangerous.
She had proceeded to Sabertooth with a single-minded determination that Gray couldn't help feeling awed by. Lucy's lips had moved the entire time – no doubt muttering obscenities at the storm – a gleam in her eyes that he couldn't place. Her attention was so riveted on her destination that she hadn't even noticed his presence. He thought she'd stop at the Swift Creek Bridge, but… no. In horror, he'd watched as she made her way to the other side – using only her whip!
Lucy is strong. There was no need to prove to the world that she was – Gray can see it already, so can Erza and Wendy. Hell, even Natsu, dense motherfucker that he is, can see it. If she'd possessed the correct magic, Gray knew that Lucy would have obliterated the storm for its audacity in getting in her way.
The girl had taken serious risks to get here. Risks that Gray knew she was loathe to undergo in normal circumstances. So it made no sense to him that she would throw all of her caution to those screaming winds and the driving rain for a mere garment.
He saw the way she lit up when she spotted Rogue over Sting's shoulder upon her entrance with Yukino. Setting off some serious overprotective-brother-alarms in his head. Why would she look so happy to see the man that would murder her? Shouldn't she be afraid of him?
Her explanation sheds some light on the matter. He's helping her out and she's grateful. Lucy forgives far too easily and possesses too large a heart for her own good, just like her idiotic flame-brained partner. Gray can live with that.
Or not.
He watches them talk for a few seconds, carefully observing the way Lucy is looking at the Shadow Dragon Slayer. And he's struck by the notion that it isn't mere gratefulness that goaded her into that perilous journey.
So he plunks himself between them like a rude bastard because at this point he really doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. This bordering-on-lovey-dovey atmosphere needs to dissipate now. Lucy was not allowed to fall for Rogue.
Not for a man with a proven ability and willingness to hurt her.
Gray would not lose another sister.
Normally Gray doesn't subscribe to drivel like fate, but this is Lucy. Even Gray recognizes that he loses all his capacity for rational thought when it comes to her safety. He doesn't care if Rogue has changed like the other members of Sabertooth, and that the possibility of him becoming Future Rogue has likely disappeared entirely. Lucy would be protected against all potential threats – even if she was fully capable of protecting herself.
And if she thought he was going overboard…
Just wait until Erza caught wind of this. Or worse – Laxus. The Dragon Slayer had developed an odd attachment to his fellow blonde after the whole Raven Tail incident during the Grand Magic Games. He often joined in Team Natsu's favorite sport of walloping any male that came too close to the Celestial Mage. (Much to Lucy's frustration because she was just trying to have an innocent conversation or ask for directions, people!)
So really, Gray's doing them all a favor by interfering before it gets to that point.
Although his resolve is starting to waver because holy shit Lucy is even scarier than the cake-enamored redhead when she smiles like that. That should not be possible. But there it is. Aimed directly at him. For the second time in the past ten minutes. His ribs are still smarting and he thinks it may take a couple of days for his spine to realign into its pre-Lucy-Kick state.
Oh, that's right. The smile isn't an Erza move.
Lucy picked it up from a certain white-haired demon woman who tended the bar.
That's why it's so scary.
Which isn't helping him at all.
"Gray?" she asks sweetly, tilting her head to the side at an angle eerily reminiscent of Mirajane.
Endure. He will not be – gulp – intimidated. He won't.
Oh who is he kidding? He's screwed and he knows it.
Rescue comes at the opportune moment from an unexpected source.
"Gray-san!"
At the greeting, Gray shifts his attention away from Lucy (his instincts screaming that it's a bad move) and regards the small creature on the table in front of him. "Frosch, right?" he says, smiling at the Exceed.
Beside him, he can sense Lucy's dark aura fading. Score!
The green, cosplaying cat waves a paw at the Ice Make Mage. "Fro wanted to thank Gray-san for helping Fro when Fro was lost!"
His icy heart melts. "No problem, Frosch. And you can just call me Gray." Frosch really couldn't be blamed for any transgressions its Dragon Slayer may or may not commit, so Gray is able to treat the Exceed as he normally would. It helped that Frosch is adorable – not bossy, muscle-bound, or a little troll like certain other Exceeds Gray is familiar with.
Frosch nods. "Okay!"
Rogue bows from where he's seated. "I would like to thank you as well, Gray-san, for assisting my friend."
Guilt stabs through the Fairy Tail Mage at the simple expression of appreciation. Gray hasn't yet thanked the other man for helping Lucy out with her problem; instead, he'd felt vindicated by the action rather than truly grateful for the selflessness the Sabertooth Mage has in fact been displaying the entire time.
Maybe Gray really is being an asshole here. Would pre-GMG Rogue or Future Rogue have been able to express such heartfelt gratitude? Somehow he doubts it. This person before him might really be different. He can suddenly see what Natsu and Lucy must have in the other man. Someone who deserved a chance at redemption.
Besides, anyone with a partner like Frosch couldn't possibly be all bad.
"Like I said," Gray feels a smile tugging at his lips, "it wasn't any skin off my back. I was glad to help." He pauses, throwing a glance at Lucy before returning to meet Rogue's gaze. "Call me Gray. San makes me twitch. And before I forget, thank you for helping my friend."
The Dragon Slayer nods. "It is no trouble. She is my friend as well."
Gray wonders when exactly that had happened. Lucy will have to be pressed for details later. The Ice Mage needs them if he's going to allow Rogue a chance to prove himself.
"Boys. Honestly." Lucy shakes her head in exasperation at the idiotic nature of the opposite sex. Seriously. One minute Gray is ready to fight to the death and the next he's making nice with his opponent – who probably never even detected Gray's animosity in the first place.
An incorrect assumption on her part, actually. Rogue, as a Dragon Slayer, is quite sensitive to hostility being directed towards him. He just can't understand the source of the Ice Mage's sudden ire. But it's gone as quickly as it appears, so the Shadow Dragon Slayer isn't going to concern himself overmuch with it. Whatever it was had managed to work itself out.
Lucy scoops Frosch into her arms and hugs the Exceed close. "You make sure to stick by Rogue, okay Frosch?"
The Exceed nods, determination set in its diminutive frame. "Fro will make sure Rogue never gets lost again."
Only with great effort does Lucy manage to restrain her laughter. "Yes, we can't have that," she replies to the Exceed's delight.
And to Sting's. The blonde man shows none of the restraint of the other blonde and laughs outright at his best friend.
While Rogue glares at his partner's mirth, he does wonder if Frosch was not, in fact, speaking of when he claimed to be lost. Perhaps the Exceed was instead referring to Levia's revelation of the Future Rogue to the Dragon Slayer, or when he had been taken over by his own shadow during his battle with Gajeel. So long as he has Frosch, he realizes, he will never truly be lost. The same could be said of Sting, Lector, and Yukino. And Lucy Heartfilia. So long as they remained in his life, he would never lose himself again.
Watching Lucy with the Exceed, Gray also contemplates whether or not he'd jumped to conclusions about Lucy's relationship with the Shadow Dragon Slayer. She's hugging the cat like her life depends upon it, smothering the creature with affection it clearly returns. Maybe, instead of Rogue, she braved the storm to visit the Exceed? Or maybe all of the Sabertooth Mages, together. It was, in hindsight, a very Lucy thing to do.
Frosch raises its head to look at the Celestial Mage's face. It doesn't really understand why, but it likes Lucy just as much as Yukino – which is to say, a lot. "Fro also wants to thank the Water Lady Fairy for helping Fro!"
"Ah," Gray says, "You mean Juvia. I can pass along the message once I get back to the guild, if you like?"
Sting's guffaws abruptly cut off and he stares at Gray in confusion. "What are you talking about? Frosch can do it sooner in person. Right, Lector?"
The russet-furred Exceed nods. "Of course you're right, Sting-kun!"
Now it's the Fairy Tail Mages' turn to be perplexed. "What are you talking about, Sting? Wouldn't it take longer that way?"
"But she's here right now," Sting said. "So why can't Frosch just thank her immediately?"
Gray stiffened, alarm shooting through him and short-circuiting his ability to respond. Shivers that had nothing to do with his magic wracked his body.
So Lucy, recognizing the familiar signs in her teammate, inquires on his behalf, "Juvia's here?"
"Yeah?" Sting replies, pointing towards a support column. "She's been hiding behind that pillar the entire time. You seriously didn't notice her? I just thought this was a normal thing for you guys, since she didn't come over here."
Indeed, the Water Mage is glowering at them from behind her marble shield, muttering darkly about Love-Rival being too close to Gray-sama under her breath.
Lucy has to stop herself from telling Sting that they hadn't noticed because this was a daily occurrence at their guild, therefore so common a sight that they hadn't registered it. She should have expected the Rain Woman's presence, actually. Wherever her precious Gray-sama went, so did Juvia.
Unfortunately, Juvia isn't alone in her hiding spot.
"Aww! Darn it, I was hoping we could hide and keep it up for at least another hour or two! You know, since you're dumb and all, Lushy."
One day that impertinent little blue fuzzball is going down. "And what are you doing here Happy?"
He flies over to her and perches on top of her head, tail draping over her face. "You left the guild with a creepy smile on your face. And you made those cookies all morning. I'm not Natsu, I can tell when you're up to something interesting!" In his excitement, he smacks his tail against her eye.
She growls, "Happy! Off!"
"…No."
Maneuvering Frosch to one arm, she reaches up and yanks Happy's tail. With a startled squeak, he falls off her head and into her other arm. Hugging both Exceeds to her chest, it looks like a friendly gesture but the fear adorning Happy's face proclaims otherwise.
Looking up at her with terrified eyes, he whispers, "You're not going to eat me, are you Lucy?"
She squishes him further, retaining a far gentler hold on Frosch. "Why would eat something as hairy as you? No thanks."
"But Lily eats kiwis with the peel on. And I think I'm going to suffocate."
"Watch where you're placing your paw if you value your damn life, feline."
Sting curses under his breath and suddenly finds the ceiling very interesting indeed.
Yukino sighs and nudges her Guild Master's arm. "You have a problem, Sting-sama."
"I know, dammit. I know."
"You're not the only one." Yukino points out the other nearby males. Lector is eyeing Frosch with apparent envy, Gray is sans-pants and frantically scrambling backwards over the table to escape Juvia's sudden closeness to his person, and Rogue is peering into the depths of the cookie bag to avoid meeting Lucy's gaze.
It's awkward as hell, but Lucy is the only one who doesn't appear to have noticed yet.
"Sting!" one of the guild members shouts. "You've got a call on the communication lacrima from Fairy Tail!"
The Guild Master looks over in relief at the distraction. "It's in my office?" At the resulting affirmative, he glances at the visiting mages. "You should come, too. They're probably just calling to see if you made it here safely, anyway."
Lucy nods and stands up, releasing Happy from her confining arm but still holding onto Frosch. Actually, Frosch doesn't appear to be letting go anytime soon.
As everyone shuffles off to the office, Lucy lags behind. She giggles as Rogue grabs the cookies before following Sting. Falling into step beside the Shadow Dragon Slayer, she smiles up at him, happy to be at Sabertooth with her Tiger friends.
Rogue watches her curiously. "Frosch really likes you," he says, the Exceed starting to fall asleep in the blonde Fairy's arms. There's something about the sight that appeals to him.
The girl's smile turns to a full-blown grin. "I really like Frosch, too. And all of you Tigers."
His gaze leaves hers, and his scarlet eyes fixed on a point somewhere off in the distance. "…Thank you."
A blue whirlwind swoops and dips over their heads. "You lllllliiiiiiiike each other." With one last aerial back flip, he alights upon the blonde mage's shoulder.
Lucy sighs at Happy's antics. "Do you like it when I hurt you, cat? Because I'm starting to think you do."
They step into the office, seeing the others crowded around the lacrima on a desk.
"Why my desk?" Rogue mutters.
"Because it was cleaner," Sting replies. "Now get your asses over here."
A quick glance at the other large piece of furniture in the office is all Lucy needs to conclude that Sting has an unexploited talent for architectural engineering. Because that's the only explanation for why the paperwork… structure on his desk hasn't toppled over yet. It isn't even swaying in the draft of air released when they opened the door. Also, it's tall. Very tall. Higher than Sting should be able to reach even while standing on his desk. Did Lector help or was Sting adding to the monolith from the bottom and pushing the whole thing higher?
Lucy jumps when her Master's wizened face fills the lacrima. "Brats!" he yells at the crystal. "What were you thinking, going out in a storm like this?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
"Sorry, Master!" they all squeak.
Sting bashes his hand onto the top of the lacrima a few times, terrifying the Fairy Tail Mages. "Old man Makarov! Get your ugly mug back a step; no one wants to see your nose hairs you senile old fart! And you don't need to shout at the damn lacrima, we can hear you just fine!"
"Um… Sting-sama? You're shouting, too…"
"Sting you brat! You should have contacted me the second they showed up!"
Shaking her head, Lucy informs him, "You're still shouting, Master."
Master Makarov heaves a great sigh at the other end. "Please tell me that you're at least going to stay the night over there? This storm isn't getting any better. In fact, Wendy and Laxus say it won't ease up until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."
Sting shrugs. "We have some guest rooms here in the guild for visitors; it shouldn't be a problem to put them up for the night." The lights flicker. "It's going to be a bit scary in the dark if the light lacrima lose their power, though."
"Speak for yourself," Rogue comments, as perfectly at ease in the darkness as he is the light.
The other Dragon Slayer rolls his eyes. "You'll be the only one okay with that, Rogue. Did you guys know he has an attack just like my Holy Nova one, only it's Shadow? Fucking creepy."
"I also know better than to unleash such an attack indoors, Sting."
"What exactly are you insinuating?"
Ignoring the light and shadow duo, Lucy glances at Gray and Juvia. "But won't we miss the big announcement you had planned for tomorrow?"
Makarov steps back from the crystal, only to start picking his nose. "That's partly why I called. I'll just give you the information now."
"Master?" Lucy points out, "That's gross." She chokes when he flicks it away. That's it. There is no way she's setting foot in his office until he scours it clean.
The old man shrugs. "What I wanted to tell you brats is that we won't be doing the Fantasia Parade for the Harvest Festival this year." He smiled sadly at the disappointed mutterings of his adopted children. "It just takes too much planning that we didn't have the time for, what with coming home, the Infinity Clock, and preparing for the Grand Magic Games. The guild is still struggling to return to how it once was, and it will take some time to get there even after our spectacular win at the GMGs."
The rival Guild Master snorts at this, smirking at the other Guild Master. "Don't worry, Makarov. Sabertooth will take the title of Fiore's strongest off your hands next year." His smile falls and he looks contemplative. "It is too bad that there won't be a parade this year, though. That's where Rogue and I actually met, did you know? At the last one you guys threw – the same year you disappeared."
Simple though the statement was, it was enough to brighten the disposition of all the Fairy Tail Mages. "Really? We were all in it!" Lucy exclaimed. "Do you remember seeing us?"
Sting blinks at her, thinking hard. "Kind of. I think I remember the costumes pretty well."
"I designed those!" Master Makarov declares with pride.
Sting gave him a thumbs up. "And all of us prepubescent boys deeply appreciated them."
Rogue sighs at his partner. "I remember the floats, best."
Not quite true – he does recall one costume in particular very well indeed. Or more accurately, the girl who wore it.
But it's of little consequence now.
Makarov chuckles at the Dragon Slayers. "Well, we might not have the parade this year but I've managed to get Magnolia's City Council and Mayor to allow us to put on a couple of exhibitions this year in its place. So Fairy Tail is still going to participate in the Harvest Festival. Which is what I wished to discuss with you, Gray, Lucy, and Juvia."
"Why does everyone always forget I'm here?" Happy mumbles from his perch on Lucy's shoulder.
He grins at the cat. "No one's forgotten you, Happy. I have a special job for you when you get back, so just be patient for now."
"Aye, sir!"
"Now where was I?"
"Senile!" Sting crows in a sing-song tone.
The other Guild Master glowers. "Don't push your luck, Sting. I can have Master Bob single you out at the next Guild League conference."
Silence greets the rather effective threat.
"Thank you, my boy. As I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, not only have we missed out on the Fantasia Parade all these years, we've also not been able to carry out any more S-Class Trials. So we've decided to combine the exhibition events with the first of a series of trials. After all, we have seven years worth of mages to promote. And the Council would only let us conduct them again if the first is under the public eye and their supervision, so Mest – er, I mean, Doranbolt – will be observing on the Council's behalf. Apparently they're afraid of us calling a dragon down atop our heads again."
"A valid concern," all the mages chorus together.
"That being said, there are ten mages selected for participation in this trial. Since there are so many, I'll be choosing three new S-Class Mages from that pool. I based my initial selections on everyone's performances during the last S-Class Trial, the Infinity Clock incident, and the GMGs. I came up with a list of five men, and five women. For the men: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Elfman Strauss, Gajeel Redfox, and Freed Justine."
Gray high-fives Lucy.
"Congrats, my love!" Juvia cheers, ignoring the physical contact between her Love-Rival and her Gray-sama in her ecstatic joy.
"For the women: Levy McGarden, Cana Alberona, Wendy Marvell… and you two, my dears. Juvia Lockser and Lucy Heartfilia."
Neither woman reacts in a way the Sabertooth Mages can anticipate.
Juvia and Lucy both wail in unison at the choice.
"No, Master! Juvia wants to be Gray-sama's partner, not rival!" This would be the fourth time her guild has pitted her against her love – she can't take much more of this!
"But Master!" Lucy also protests. "Although I'm grateful to be considered a candidate, I promised Cana at the last S-Class Trial that I would make her an S-Class Mage! I can't do that if I'm her competition!"
He smiles kindly at the two despondent women. "I'm sorry, girls. I've made my decision for the participants and I can't change it now. Besides which, there won't be partners this time around. There are too many mages competing and I can't make the challenges as complicated as I would like with the limited venue and time frame." The elder mage starts to dig around in his ears. "Also, I'm not really in charge of this shindig. Laxus and the other S-Class Mages are handling most of the details – it's a part of the boy's Guild Master training. I'm hoping this turns out like the last Trial should have." He winks at the group. "I'm afraid that's all I can really say. You have a month to prepare, otherwise."
Lucy's eyes sparkle as some of the pieces begin to fall into place. "Got it, Master."
"That's my girl. Oh, and before I leave… Sting?"
"Hmm?"
Makarov finishes with his ear and flicks his prize in the same direction as the booger from earlier. "I will make sure to reserve special seats for you and five others of Sabertooth to attend as VIP guests. Don't be letting it get to your already swelled head, though. I'm inviting the same number from a few other guilds, too."
Sting grins back at Makarov, displaying his fangs. "Are you sure you want to be displaying your key members' strengths to the future GMG competition, Makarov? You might regret that."
The old man guffaws at the young upstart. "What competition? I see none. Well, toot'a'loo!"
The crystal goes dark.
Yukino giggles and places a placating hand on Sting's shoulder. "Calm down, Sting-sama."
"Arrg!" Sting growls and throws his arms into the air, almost throwing Lector off his shoulder. "That old fool knows just what buttons to push!"
"Lucy?"
The blonde woman blinks at her name falling from the Water Woman's lips. It's been a while since she's heard Juvia say it. "Yeah, Juvia?"
Fidgeting, the mage looks up at her friend. "What did you mean by, 'got it'?"
Lucy smiles. "It's another riddle, Juvia. Just like last time. And sorry, but I'm not telling you anymore than that, either. Except to say that I still intend to make Cana S-Class this time around, no matter what. I don't care that we're rivals in this – I promised her and a Celestial Mage always keeps her promises!"
Juvia nods, determination beginning to set in. "Then Juvia will do her best for Gray-sama, too!"
Gray groans. "Please don't."
"Gray-sama!"
Le Gasp! Plot appears!
I had to split this up into multiple chapters… again. Good grief. I'm totally not going to make my timeline for the Date prompt chapter. Well, there should be more feels and fluff next chapter at any rate. Plus some more reveals for Lucy's plot to make Cana S-Class.
Please, please review and let me know what you think Makarov was trying to tell Lucy!