Lucy watched as Natsu and Gajeel, with Happy egging them on, got their daily dose of contentious screaming and punches out of the way as she waited in line to have Mira approve the mission she'd chosen. It may not be as lucrative as the one they had to cancel due to that incident with her father and the merchant's guild a few days prior, but it would at least be enough to cover the rent. Reaching the bar, she smiled cheerfully as she placed the quest down.

"Good morning, Mira! We're taking this one today. Could you let the client know we'll be there before noon?"

Mira took the quest with a welcoming grin, skimming through it as she raised the stamp, about to answer before she saw the mission parameters. It suggested at least four mages were needed for successful mission completion. Lowering the stamp, she looked up apologetically as she stated, "I'm sorry, Lucy, but before I can approve this, I need to know who will make up the rest of your team."

Lucy was confused. Rechecking the quest, she read the parameters and saw the usual information she always looked for in a team mission. Was there a new requirement that she had to fill out names of participants or something? Turning the paper over, she found no spaces to fill in. Meeting Mira's gaze, she replied with brows furrowed.

"I'm going with my usual team, of course. It's just a waitstaff gig at some new restaurant a couple towns over. Nothing dangerous. Why would I choose anyone else?"

Mira's eyes widen at the realization that Lucy, and probably Natsu, didn't know what had happened.

"I guess you hadn't heard yet. Gray won't be going on missions for a while."

"What?! Why? Did he get arrested for public indecency again?"

With a giggle, Mira answered, "No, nothing like that. Since Natsu and Happy stole you away to go fishing with them yesterday, Gray took a solo job. He didn't come back until really late last night… more like early this morning, actually. It was long after the guild closed, but luckily Elfman was here finishing up some chores."

Natsu sauntered over, Happy on his shoulder, having heard that last part, and said cheekily, "Aw, did poor Gray tire himself out and have to take a holiday?"

Lucy rolled her eyes at Natsu's jab at his favorite rival, but lost her grin when she saw the sad smile on Mira's face.

"No, I'm afraid he got back so late because of his injuries."

"He's hurt? What happened? Is he in the infirmary?" cried Lucy.

"There's no need to worry. Erza took him home hours ago."

How could they not worry? They'd been here all morning, enjoying breakfast and laughing it up with their friends, and neither of them had stopped to wonder why Gray hadn't shown up yet today.

"So Erza's with him now?" Lucy wondered. That explained her absence all morning too. At least he wasn't alone.

Mira nodded, saying, "She was about to turn in when she glanced out the window, and noticed the guild's infirmary lights were on. She rushed right over."

"He made it back here on his own, though. His injuries can't be that bad," noted Natsu. That actually made Lucy feel a little better, but she waited for Mira's confirmation before she could relax.

"Porlyusica treated his injuries, but I can't tell you how serious they were. There were a lot of deep cuts everywhere, but he froze his hands before he could lose too much blood, and was able to walk back just fine. It's just the pain that slowed him down."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, glad to learn his injuries were more likely flesh wounds than anything more worrisome. She was still upset from how his wounds had reopened during their war with Phantom Lord, and he was still recovering from all that drama from the Tower of Heaven, and that recent stunt Laxus had pulled. Honestly, they all needed a break!

Her relief was short-lived when she saw the worry on Happy's face, and the anger on Natsu's.

"What do you mean he froze his hands?! How bad off were they?"

Looking around for signs of eavesdroppers, finding none, Mira still leaned closer and lowered her voice as she explained, "I helped wrap his hands, and they looked pretty torn up. Porlyusica spent most of the night pulling shards of shattered lacrima crystals out of his skin. Some were lodged in his chest and shoulder, with a couple awfully close to his neck; and one nearly nicked his eye, but he turned his head away just in time."

"What the hell happened out there?!"

"I never got the whole story. Gray was exhausted by the time he came in, so Porlyusica let him sleep while she was treating him. He went on a monster hunting quest, so it most likely had something to do with that. You'd have to ask him to fill in the details."

Natsu grunted as he pushed away from the bar, stomping out of the guild with Happy close behind. Lucy threw a quick thanks over her shoulder as she hurried to catch up.

"Hey, why are you so mad? You're not blaming him, are you? Things happen on missions, and you heard Mira. He's fine! He came back on his own!"

"He's not fine! You heard what she said, right? His hands got messed up!"

"I did hear, and I know he'll have it rough for a while, but there's no reason to be so upset!"

"He's not upset," Happy piped in, "he's worried."

"Worried?"

"Pain doesn't slow him down. He was being cautious," Natsu revealed.

"What do you mean?"

Happy replied, "Remember what Gray said on Galuna? Without two hands, his magic isn't stable. It's way worse if he can't even use one."

"Oh no, that's right! He can't use his magic right now!" Lucy said, finally understanding the implications of his injuries.

"Yeah," said Natsu, "Gray had to be extra careful coming home, since he couldn't defend himself on the way. The forests around Magnolia are dangerous at night."

"Thank God he made it back okay. So where are we going?"

"To Gray's house, of course!" Happy answered cheerfully.

"His house? I've never been there. You mean he doesn't live in the men's dorm? Why do we always end up at my apartment if he's got a house all to himself?!"

"Duh! Cuz your place is closest to the guild!"

After fifteen minutes at a steady jog, Lucy could see why everyone preferred the leisure five minute stroll it usually took to get to her apartment. This neighborhood was clear across town! Slowing to a brisk pace on a sidewalk which meandered up and down a couple of hills, passing many old but nice homes, she followed Natsu and Happy as they turned abruptly onto a stone-paved path which led to a modest sized cottage.

"He lives here? How can he afford it?"

"Don't know, never cared," said Natsu, "You can ask him yourself after we make sure he's healing okay, then we can kick his ass for making us worry."

"That's counterproductive!"

"That's Natsu!" Happy agreed, well, happily.

Lucy had a mere second to admire the small water feature on the front porch—were there live fish in there?— before Natsu gripped the doorknob, ready to twist the lock off if he had to, but almost stumbling in when the door opened without resistance.

"Hey, Ice Bastard! Where you at?!"

Lucy could hear some low murmurs coming from across the living room. At the far end to one side of the space was a door, slightly ajar, which she assumed opened into a bedroom. She couldn't hear what was being said, but Natsu sighed with rolled eyes as he led them to that room. No doubt he'd heard Gray respond with some sharp comeback at his lovely greeting.

Barging into the bedroom, all words of reproach left Natsu's tongue when he saw the condition of their friend.

Gray sat sprawled in an overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. He laid his head back, and his eyes were closed, but even in the dim light, Lucy could see how one eye was bruised dark where a fine line had sliced very close to the eyelid. A pair of butterfly strips kept that wound closed.

His hair was damp, and they could tell he'd recently bathed. He wore loosely tied drawstring pajama pants and a dark short-sleeved shirt left unbuttoned, so various knicks and scratches could be seen. Some of the deeper wounds bore stitches, or were taped over with gauze, and many were stained with some kind of antiseptic Porlyusica had prepared for him.

They could see his arms had definitely taken the worst of it. One lay atop a small towel draped over the armrest of the chair. The whole limb was swollen from the fingertips to just above his elbows. They couldn't see the underside, except for the edges of some painfully dark bruising which doubtlessly looked worse if he was to turn his arm over, but his nails were still stained in blood. Lucy reasoned they probably hurt too much to clean properly. Erza held his other hand.

Lucy was curious, then fascinated by the scene she'd walked in on. Erza sat on a padded stool in front of Gray's chair. His arm, just as swollen as the other, and greatly discolored from more bruising, was resting on another towel draped across his lap. Erza was gripping his hand gently, while she firmly smoothed her fingers in small circles across his palm.

Reaching for a small bottle by their feet, she poured a dribble of what looked like oil into her hand. Replacing the bottle, she then continued up his arm, pressing lightly and carefully around the multitude of wounds they could now see. Most of them had also needed stitches, and if Lucy didn't know better, she could swear some of those wounds went cleanly through the other side of his hand. A quick glance at the other, and she found similar injuries she'd missed before underneath the bruising.

"When you've healed a little more, I can do your nails for you."

Lucy's brow shot up at that out-of-the-blue statement. She'd just rushed here in a hurried frenzy, found Gray in such a beaten up state, and now stood watching as the usually overly serious and forceful Erza was treating him to a gentle, well-executed hand massage. After all the stress and worry, coupled by the unexpected sight of Erza being all tender towards Gray, who usually balked at the idea of needing such treatment; all of the tension seamlessly plummeted at the equally strange and shocking words that just left Erza's mouth.

"Oh! Do mine too!"

Lucy's head could have twisted right off at how fast she'd turned it to gape at Natsu, who no longer looked angry, but excited in a kid-like manner. Did he seriously just ask—

"Only if you do mine afterwards," replied Erza.

Was Lucy hallucinating right now?

"What?! But you usually have Gray do yours!"

That must be it. Lucy must have tripped on the way here, and suffered some kind of traumatic brain injury. Just the image of Natsu working in a nail salon was enough to make her question her sanity, but Gray too? Did Cana spike her smoothie this morning?

"We can't very well expect Gray to paint our nails right now, can we?"

Lucy had to literally shake her head at that, because as a self proclaimed master of prose, she hadn't missed the key detail of the last thing Erza had said.

Our nails.

"Natsu let's Gray paint his nails?!"

That question may have sounded more manic than Lucy had intended, but it got everyone's attention.

"Oh, hey, Lucy. Didn't know you were here," Gray said as he peeked an eye open, "Welcome to my home. Forgive me for not standing to greet you, but Erza will smack me if I try."

"You'll have deserved it too," said Erza, "How do you feel? Has the pain lessened any?"

Erza moved the towel to the other armrest, gently laying his arm there, so both were now elevated, and hopefully positioned comfortably.

"It's still about the same, but the cramping's gone away."

"The massages will help more once I get the ingredients for that medicinal salve Porlyusica prescribed. Once she fixes the severed tendons, it'll also help improve movement, and keep the scarring at a minimum."

"You know I never cared about the scars."

"I know, but in this case, I care. Very much so. Natsu and I both understand how important it is that you're properly able to use your hands in your molding techniques. We're determined to safeguard them just as much as you are."

Gray offered a soft grin, appreciative of his friends' care, regardless of how overbearing it could be sometimes.

"Appreciate it."

Lucy was almost ready to swoon with all the uncharacteristic tenderness she was witnessing from her friends. She was also a little annoyed that everyone seemed to have brushed off her question, even if it did come off more of an incredulous exclamation. Perhaps the concept of the boys doing each other's nails was just the usual with these guys.

Then the thought occurred that she was missing out on something. The realization hit her that her friends have known each other for years, and had many secrets and experiences shared between themselves that she's never been privy to; so many inside jokes and treasured memories she wasn't a part of.

She was starting to feel left out.

"Anyway, enough with the stalling. What the hell happened out there?" Natsu asked, his tone back to a low simmer.

With a tired sigh, Gray straightened in his chair and was about to begin, but he paused and motioned with a slight raise of his left arm towards a side table by his bed.

"Lucy, there's a notebook and pen in the top drawer over there. Do me a favor and take down my mission report please?" All the better to get it all written down now so he wouldn't have to repeat himself later.

"Oh, of course! I'd be happy to!"

As she went to retrieve the requested items, she noted a small collection of origami figures displayed on top of the table. She recognized some animals, mostly birds and fish, a few flowers, and even a couple of miniature swords and armor. The rest of them were simple geometric shapes, almost like crystalline figures. Some of them looked pretty old, with one of them—a swan by the looks of it—showing signs of having been handled off and on over the years. What a cute hobby, and an interesting little tidbit to learn about their ice mage. She guessed it must be a maker mage thing, having such a creative hobby.

Meanwhile, Erza rose from the stool she'd been sitting on and promptly moved Gray's legs to rest on top of it. Moving to the small master bath to wash her hands, she called over her shoulders, "You know I would have done that for you."

Lucy thought it odd how Gray and Natsu shared a conspiratorial look between them, both of them smiling almost indulgently, with Happy hiding his snickering behind his paws. Gray answered, "You've already done enough for me, and Lucy's such a great writer, I figure she'd make my retelling sound more exciting if she wrote it in her own words."

Natsu scoffed, but Lucy didn't think his reaction had anything to do with what he'd said, but what he hadn't said, because there was definitely something hidden between the lines here. She just couldn't fathom what it could be.

Erza returned from the washroom with a small glass of water, and offered the drink to Gray.

"You always think of everything," he said, taking a sip.

"I could hear the rasp in your voice. You're dehydrated from blood loss, you haven't had anything to drink since you came in last night, and you can't even hold this cup. Until you're able to use your hands again, we'll be at your beck and call."

While Natsu was muttering complaints under his breath about being at the Icicle's service, Lucy was starting to blush at how intimate her friends were being. Should she maybe step out for a moment? She'd never gotten the impression that Gray and Erza had this kind of relationship, nor that he appreciated being pampered like this. What about Erza's surprisingly soft, nurturing side? Sure, she tended to mother them all on occasion, but this was the kind of interaction she'd expect from a loving married couple!

She was shaken from her daze by the sound of Gray clearing his throat, and she hoped no one noticed her jump. She sat on the edge of Gray's bed—totally NOT glowing red at the thought that she was sitting on an admittedly smoking-hot guy's BED— and readied herself to take notes so she could transcribe what he was to say into a proper mission report later.

"I took a mission in that forestry village east of here, the one halfway between Magnolia and the Akane River Valley. They needed someone to take care of a young naga infestation. Nagas can't function in the cold, so Mira usually flags me down for those types of quests. I've dealt with serpent-type pests so many times before. It should have been an easy gig."

Lucy listened with rapt attention, taking notes in shorthand as Gray recounted how he'd arrived at the forest, acquired the necessary details from his clients, and performed his usual strategy of dropping the temperature of his surroundings until all the nagas went dormant. Then a posse of villagers would gather all the unconscious nagas together and cage them all to be relocated later on. Everything about this mission had pointed towards nothing out of the ordinary.

That was, until he noticed the ones that he'd previously neutralized were somehow adapting to the cold environment he had created. All of a sudden, he had to defend a group of non-mages against a horde of pissed off snake monsters, who had surrounded them all, hissing and slithering in all directions, fangs glistening with milky-pale venom. They may have only come up to his knees, but they were everywhere!

What was really strange was their aggression. They could be a nuisance in any area populated by humans, but that was only if they were startled. Normally they were quite docile, and only used their venom to kill prey or to defend themselves. He'd hated having to kill so many, but since they weren't quelled by the cold, he'd had to switch to bladed weaponry, and a lot of them. It was a bloodbath, and those villagers were a hindrance the entire time. He couldn't let them get hurt, though.

"They could resist the cold, but it still slowed them down, so I kept the temperature low so I could better fight them off. I just couldn't figure out what was driving those serpents to attack so fiercely. That was, until the damn boss showed up."

They all sat enthralled as Gray recounted how this particular naga was different from the usual fair. Instead of a small snake-man creature, this one was almost the size of a full grown human, a head shorter than Gray. It had an intelligence unheard of from their kind, and this one had a grudge against the village.

"Ready for the plot twist? It turns out the innocent villagers weren't so innocent after all. They hadn't been releasing those captured nagas; they were milking their venom to be sold to apothecaries, then selling them to tanners for their skins. It was a far more lucrative business than felling trees and cutting wood."

The boss-naga mostly hissed and growled, but from the few times it spoke, Gray had been able to gather a clear picture. It had recently discovered what the villagers had been doing, and had become enraged at the senseless murder of its brethren. Gray could only piece together from what he'd observed and experienced, but he theorized that some time in the past, the naga must have come across some kind of magic item that had transformed it into the large, intelligent creature he'd ended up having to fight—the item which landed Gray where he is now.

"It was carrying a lacrima, the same one that ground my hands into hamburger, by the way. I think it was using it to control the rest of them too. It made them able to bear the cold, and I'm guessing it's also what made them so aggressive. I ended up having to kill them all, and it sickens me that it was to protect those assholes who caused that mess in the first place."

"They may have been shitheads," Natsu interjected, "but they were still human. No one's gonna blame you for defending them. So how'd you get so torn up?"

"Best I can figure, the boss panicked. It had no weapon, just the lacrima, so it threw it at me and ran off. I caught it by reflex. Turns out it was a salamander core."

At this, Natsu grimaced in sympathy, and crossed his arms, nodding in understanding.

"A salamander core? What's so special about that?" wondered Happy.

"Salamanders are famous for being creatures tied to the element of fire," supplied Erza, " A salamander core can be used as a heat source, but if it's imbued with the right kind of magic, it can be used for a broad range of fire-related spells. It must have been pure instinct in how the boss used it the way it did. All reptilian species have some ancestral tie to the fire elements, so it was able to use it to gain control of the other nagas, and lend them the protection of the inner fires of the lacrima."

"That's right," said Gray, "I also discovered prolonged usage of the thing produces a f*ck ton of heat, just like using my powers nonstop will cause my already low core temperature to plummet well below freezing. That's especially true for my hands. You ever see what happens to really hot glass when it's plunged into cold water?"

Lucy's eyes widened.

"Oh my God! It's a miracle you still have your hands!"

"May as well be gone. Both of them had a few of the larger shards poking all the way through. Severed all kinds of things with long names I can't be bothered to remember. I can't even move most of my fingers right now. Nicked a few heavy bleeders too. Would have bled out if I hadn't iced over everything."

"What about the villagers? Didn't they help?" wondered Happy.

"That blast knocked me on my ass, and I blacked out for a bit. Woke up alone. The f*ckers left me for dead. I wasn't about to drag myself back to their village to ask for first aid."

"Ingrates. I ought to track them all down and burn their houses to the ground. Hell, the whole village is probably in on the scam," seethed Natsu.

"We can seek our due vengeance after Gray is on the mend. Until then, you can all assist in his recovery," demanded Erza.

"Absolutely. What do you need from us?" asked Lucy.

Indicating to Lucy for the notebook, Erza tore out a page, and spoke as she jotted something down.

"We need to make the salve right away. It has to steep for four hours to gain potency before we can use it, so the sooner you get back, the better. Here's a list of everything he needs. One of you will pick up these items, while the other will stay and redress his arms in fresh bandages. Meanwhile, Gray, you must be starving. I'll prepare you some soup."

"Potato and leek?"

"If that's what you want."

"I'm out of Gruyère."

"I'll add it to the list. I assume you have garlic?"

"In the kitchen garden out back. I should warn you, I've reorganized the pantry since the last time you were here."

"I'll manage."

Lucy was growing amused by how domestic this scene playing out before her was.

Finished with her list, along with her orders, Erza handed the page back to Lucy and turned to leave for the kitchen, having no doubt her commands would be followed.

Long used to Erza's abrupt nature when a mission was at hand, Lucy shrugged off that quick dismissal and turned the page over, ready to read the list… and stopped.

'What is this?!'

It was completely illegible. Chicken scratch would be an improvement to what she was trying in vain to interpret.

She squinted at the note, held it to the light, turned it upside-down, and right-side-up again. She couldn't fathom what Erza had written on this page!

"Yoink!"

"Happy! Give that back!" Lucy cried as she reached for the list, held above her head by a way-too-happy Happy.

"No can do, Lushie! You have to let the pro handle this one. Here you go, Gray!"

Alighting onto Gray's lap, he held the list up to his friend's eye level, and waited.

Gray proceeded to read every single word without a hitch. He was halfway through the list of herbs before Lucy hurried to copy everything down, ending with…

"Erza wants us to buy ice?"

"To help with the swelling, yeah."

"Don't you have an ice maker?"

"I am the ice maker. I'm out of service right now."

"Right, gotcha. But you froze your wounds."

"Baa-chan always fusses at us for using magic when we're injured," informed Natsu, "Says it slows our healing down. Erza's gonna be enforcing that rule."

"I guess that makes sense. Looks like we'll have to hit more than one store to get all these things. Happy and I can split the list and hurry back."

"Nope! Happy and I will handle the shopping. You gotta stay here and keep an eye on the crushed ice over there!"

"Oy! Some sensitivity would be nice!" Gray fussed.

"That's what Lucy's for!"

"Wait!" cried Lucy, "I don't know the first thing about medicine, and I know where we can buy most of these things real cheap!"

"Not in this neighborhood, you don't. You never came to this side of town before, remember?"

"Right… At least leave Happy with me for assistance."

"Can't do that. I need Happy to carry the ice."

"Yep! Natsu will just melt it all before he gets back!"

"Oh. Well—"

"—Relax! I can read your writing just fine," Natsu assured as he snagged Lucy's copy out of her hand, "I know where all the best stores are. We'll be back before Erza's even done cooking. Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!"

In a blur, Natsu and Happy flew out Gray's window, already several blocks away.

"Dumbass never uses the door," Gray said tersely.

Lucy sighed, relieved by that opening.

"At least he thought to open the window this time."

"How'd you know he broke it once before?"

"I was talking about my window!"

That made him chuckle. That was a good start.

"So, um… this is a nice house. The rent's gotta be insane."

He gave her a critical look, making her wonder if she'd said something wrong.

"What?"

"I thought you were raised in high society."

"Yeah, so?"

"It's rude to ask about one's finances."

"I'm sorry! You're right. It's none of my business—"

"—Relax. I'm just teasing you."

"Right. I knew that."

"I wonder about that."

"Pardon?"

He wasn't so distracted by all the goings-on to have not noticed Lucy's unease. This was the first time she'd been left alone with him in such a one-on-one setting. They were friends of course, and have been through so much together in the short time they've known each other; but it was so quiet here, with little to distract them, and close to no history between them. Lucy wasn't usually one to shy away from social situations, but Gray was always so aloof with everyone. He could understand if she was feeling a little out of place here. Still, he wasn't one to call her out on it.

"Nothing. Just tired."

"I bet. Hey, since you might be laid up for a while, I can help with rent until you can go on jobs again."

"Weren't we supposed go on a job to help with your rent today?"

"Don't remind me. I have a bit of time to raise what I need for this month. I owe you and the others for constantly helping me, so it's the least I can do."

"That's a nice gesture, but it's unnecessary. This is my house. I bought it about three years ago."

The shock on her face was priceless, but he hoped he wouldn't come to regret telling her that. He didn't want her mood to plummet if she were to learn he'd gotten the funds to buy his home from his parents' estate. It had taken years for those probate officials to track him down, and it hadn't been a lot; but it had been enough to buy this little getaway from the craziness of the guild.

She must have taken his earlier admonishment about financial questions to heart, because instead of asking how he could possibly afford to buy a home in his early teens, she remarked, "Kinda weird we haven't made this our hang out spot."

"*chuckle* Yeah, kinda the point. I chose this location because of the distance from the guild. It's nice to have some quiet once in a while."

She could completely relate to that.

"Besides, the last thing I want is Natsu inviting himself over to trash my house every night."

She tried to keep a straight face, but now she was a little annoyed at how everyone seems to have chosen her place by default.

"The first aid kit is on the floor over here."

Crap! Why the hell was she wasting time on pointless pleasantries?! Approaching where Gray sat, she saw a well-stocked kit at the side of his chair. Digging around in it, she pulled out several rolls of gauze and tape.

As she was looking for a place to sit, Gray saw her wandering gaze and lifted his legs off the stool, nudging it towards her.

"That's okay! I can get a chair from the kitchen!"

"Nonsense. Sit down. I don't even need it. Erza just worries too much."

"All of us were worried," she said as she accepted the proffered seat, "Especially Natsu. He took it all in stride until he learned about your hands. He was really upset about that. He rushed out of the guild hall as soon as he heard."

"Hmph. It's like a conditioned response with those two."

Unrolling a strip of gauze, she paused at that statement, asking, "What do you mean?"

A fond look appeared on his face as he grinned softly, saying, "Just something from when we were kids. We've all sparred together almost constantly since day one of meeting each other. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses in and out, but we've never taken advantage of that knowledge. Natsu wouldn't target my hands, I wouldn't Ice Make a moving vehicle beneath him. Neither of us wanted to win a match due to a handicap. At some point, it just became second nature to cover for each other."

"So you started guarding each other's weak spots."

"Exactly. It's the same way with you. We know you're vulnerable without your keys, and kept a lookout for them while we were repairing all the damage from Phantom Lord. Loke just happened upon them first."

"That's so sweet. You know, Erza's been working with me to improve my fighting skills since then. As determined as I am to never lose my keys again, she has a valid point. I depend on them, and on my spirits, too much. I need to get to where I can fight alongside them without getting in their way."

"We'll all help you if you want."

"I don't want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble. It's just another way we can protect you. It's no different from how I'll browse through local armories and smithies during our travels to find quality armor and weapons for Erza. As for Natsu, she keeps a set of Flame Empress armor in her pocket dimension for when he needs a recharge during a fight. And I'm always ready to throw down with him."

"So you guys are always fighting to improve your skills!"

"No, I just hate his guts," he smirked.

Lucy chuckled at the familiar exchange as she proceeded to carefully wrap the first arm. It looked even worse up close, but she didn't comment on it. The last thing he needed was someone pointing out how bad it was, as if it wasn't painfully obvious already.

Distraction was the order of the day.

"I saw those paper figures on the table. I didn't know you did origami."

"Hmm. They're my designs, but Erza made them."

"Really?" Upon further inspection, she could recognize some of those strange scribbles she now knew to be Erza's handwriting peeking out of the folds of the paper swan. "They're beautiful! I'm surprised she'd take the time to learn something so trivial. She's always struck me as a very action-oriented person, with little time for simple hobbies."

"I thought you would have figured out by now that everything with Erza is a training exercise."

"Okay, I may be a creative writer, but even I can't fathom how origami can help her improve her fighting skills."

"What makes you think fighting is all she strives to improve?"

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She knew Erza wasn't perfect in everything she did, but Lucy found it difficult to imagine her struggling with anything she put her mind to.

"I guess I've seen her do such remarkable feats, I haven't given much thought to all the little things she's good at."

"Such as painting our nails?" he grinned.

"You need to tell me about that ASAP! I thought I was having a stroke when you guys were talking about that!"

With a humorous chuckle, he observed the job she did wrapping the first arm, nodded his approval, and offered the other as he answered.

"You had trouble reading her writing."

Lucy barely noticed the change in topic as she replied, "How can you possibly read that list? Was it some kind of code or something?"

He gave her another weird look, as if sizing her up for some reason.

"Huh. It's funny how Natsu said the same thing way back when. It's like you two are on the same wavelength."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"... Nothing. And no, that's really how Erza writes. Come on, it's not that bad."

"Why didn't you let her write your mission report then?"

"…"

"Yeah, my point exactly."

"I'll admit it takes getting used to, but her penmanship is a hell of a lot better than when she first came to the guild."

"I'm having trouble picturing that."

"There's an interesting story behind that. I can tell you about it if you want."

Finishing up her task, she sat back and weighed her options. She had planned to allow him to rest while she went to help Erza, but at the same time she didn't want to leave him by himself. What if he needed anything?

"What about you? Do the wrappings feel okay? Does anything hurt? Do you need more water or a pillow or something?"

"You did a good job. I feel like shit. I'd rather have a shot of bourbon, but Erza would kill us both. What I need is something to take my mind off the searing pain and pressure in my arms. Do you want to hear a story, or tell one, cuz I'm good either way."

Eying him more critically, Lucy could tell he'd been hiding his discomfort this whole time. Or their conversation had indeed been doing a good job of distracting him from it. She's grown more comfortable being alone with him, and with nothing else to occupy herself, or him for that matter, she could use this time to learn a bit more about her friends' pasts. Maybe that would also help her strengthen her sense of belonging among these long-time friends.

"I'd love to hear about the secret nail spa you guys apparently have been hiding from me."

"I'll get to that. It's part of the story, actually. It was shortly after Erza joined the guild. That was about eight years ago, so I was ten at the time."

"It was just you and Cana back then, right? You must have been excited having another kid around. Did you guys hit it off right away?"

"Heck no. I was a salty, conceited ass back then. Erza couldn't stand being around me."

Lucy stifled a chuckle behind her hand, picturing her two friends as angry kids calling each other names and getting into childish fights with each other.

"So what changed?"

Gray took a moment to ponder how to answer, reminiscing of past times spent lazing beside a certain river bank, just him and Erza. Of many tears shed, and fewer laughs shared, of lowering one's guard, learning to allow the love and affection of others to touch one's heart.

"I taught her it was okay to take off the armor once in a while."

A wisp of an image strayed into Lucy's thoughts of the innuendo Gray's words just conjured, but she knew her friends at least long enough to know he hadn't meant any such thing, and that she needed to lay off of some of the more steamy books Levy's been prone to lending her.

"Okay, so you guys were friends by this point. Then what?"

Gray leaned back into his chair, getting as comfortable as his injured body would allow, and began his tale.

To all my returning readers, it's been a while! My yearly drama production is coming along. I'm playing a droid in a Star Wars themed play this time. Plot twist: the inhabitants of the planet we're on are super tiny, and I'm actually a mecha.

That said, I'd promised to write this for jaci-serigala on Tumblr, who shared their head canons concerning Erza's early childhood development while in the Tower of Heaven. Since the ideas were fresh in my mind in the last few weeks, I went ahead and wrote this short chapter book. Don't worry. "Let's Play the Quiet Game: Restoration" will be returning after my drama production has been performed. Look for the next chapter the first Friday in August.

In the meantime, please enjoy this story.

Next Chapter: A young Gray and Cana think they have Erza figured out.