Disclaimer: Fairy Tail does not and sadly will never belong to me but this plot does! I'll sue you if you attempt to steal it haha ^w^ *LOL*
(A/N: And, welcome back once again to D2L! Today's the awaited 'Valentines' Special' that I'm dedicating to Justanotherdreamgirl for being my first reviewer in the previous chapter as well as the most frequent reviewer of this story. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! And before I forget, Happy Belated Valentines!)
Previously On D2L: "Wow… Way to go Gray… you just added another pairing to your pairing list" Lisanna laughed and Lucy was way too embarrassed to say anything.
Continue:
Gray continued to deny all the speculations his friends were having towards him and finally when he was looking for a way out, there came the reason why they all were here – walking towards them with her trademark sunny smile and long, wavy hair, holding a trolley bag and an overcoat hanging from her left hand while her write hand carried a branded tote. Gray smiled as he saw her and then everyone else followed his gaze to see the one and only, Mirajane Strauss.
Lucy's insides were turning in a really disturbing manner and she was experiencing a serious situation of mixed emotions. She had of course liked Mirajane Strauss and had actually considered her an idol during her better times but still she didn't know why but a part of her didn't like the way she was hugging Gray OR the way Gray gave her a peck on her cheek – in an 'friends' type of manner but that didn't really make her feel any better. Whether it was that she really had no idea why she was beginning to feel this way or it was that she knew but refused to accept it, the fact still remained that right now, she needed some time out.
"Gray, you've changed much more than I expected over the past few months. Maybe you're now eligible enough to be on the list of 'Most wanted Guys' in the Teen Magazine and not just in Fairy High." Mirajane said.
"See! He was like the FIRST person to walk up to her!" Lisanna whispered to Levy.
"Heard that!" Gray responded unexpectedly and everyone laughed.
"Mira-nee!" Lisanna hugged Mirajane really tight and like that, Mirajane greeted each person one after the other.
"Erza"
"Mira"
"I see you're still as strict as ever. Not to mention as beautiful as ever."
"And I see you're still as bright and shiny as ever"
Everyone looked at each other nervously and then at the pair.
"Um, what's up?" Lucy whispered the Cana.
"Oh them? They were serious rivals when we were younger. Mirajane has changed a lot since then but Erza…? Not really. They had this 'thing' for a long time but as we got into high school the rivalry sort of melted away. Maturity? I guess… They were always rivals but they were also best friends. And those two in a bad mood are EVERYONE's nightmares!" Cana began to tell Lucy the story to which Lucy nodded.
"Oh who are we kidding!" Mirajane laughed and Erza joined in and they both gave each other a tight hug. Everyone seemed to be caught in some kind of relief and Natsu was actually even comically praying thankfully! The nervousness faded away and the greetings went on until finally Mirajane came across a certain blond she had never seen before.
"Oh um, hi! You're…?" Mirajane began.
"Mira-nee, this is Lucy – Lucy Heartfilia. She's new and just joined the gang." Lisanna introduced Lucy. Lucy smiled to the best of her abilities but didn't expect the hug that came next.
"Nice to meet you Lucy. If it isn't already too late, welcome to FairyTail and also to Fairy High." Lucy smiled much wider and this time it was genuine. How could it not be? Mirajane was just so warm and sweet that it seemed impossible to not like totally love her!
"You'll be coming for the party tomorrow right?" Mirajane asked and Levy answered instead with a really enthusiastic 'YES!'
Gray then joined the conversation saying, "are you sure you don't want to postpone the party? You just arrived anyway… you must be tired"
"Naah…it's been so long. A party is definitely on my top list. And by party I mean a FairyTail party " Mirajane replied and everyone laughed.
"It's getting late now. We're meeting tomorrow right? So why not take a leave now and let Mira take some rest?" Erza suggested and a few groans, a few yawns, a few 'yes's and a few 'no's before everyone finally agreed that it was best to go home now. The gang began to disperse until the last ones left were Gray, Mira, Erza and Lucy who were walking out together.
"I'll drop the two of you home. It's quite late" Gray stated, not in a suggestive manner, rather an ordering manner.
"No, that's okay Gray. We'll get home safely. You don't need to bother yourself." Erza replied. But Gray continued to insist.
"You're ALWAYS so protective Gray" Mirajane said giggling, "and I notice it's mostly Erza that brings about that side in you" Erza didn't respond to this and neither did Gray.
"Well, Mira-nee, it's not just Erza. I notice that even Cana and you bring out that side of Gray" Lisanna who had just come after seeing off the others.
Lucy began to feel so lost in this conversation. It was like the entire day, everyone was so busy teasing Gray with his three musketeers as she had begun to call them and 'them' as in Cana, Erza and Mirajane.
Finally Gray gave up on dropping them home and continued on, into his car with Lucy, after saying goodbye.
The journey back home was much more steady and slow compared to the when they were speeding down like crazy just to get to the airport on time.
"You look tired." Gray said, breaking the silence. Lucy didn't respond, she looked like she was a hundred miles away with a frowning expression.
"Correction – you look angry" He chuckled and this time she turned to look at him with a confused look.
"I'm not angry" She replied.
"Yes, you are. Now are you going to tell me what made you so distraught?"
"Nothing"
"Can't be nothing… Wait, this doesn't have anything to do with the 'Gray and Mirajane' mockery they created of me back there does it?"
Lucy wanted so much to just say that two-letter word she loved most but somehow, it just didn't come out! Her silence then turned out a backstabber.
"You're kidding right! So you're saying…you're jealous?!" He asked incredulous.
"NO I AM NOT" and this time she yelled it immediately.
"The quickest denials are the strongest affirmatives" He grinned as he said, "Just admit it. You're jealous."
Lucy huffed and turned to look out through the window while Gray continued to giggle every now and then, much to her discomfort.
"Okay forget that. You can tell me all about how you're beginning to like me now, later." He said in a joking tone and Lucy's face fumed the color of red.
"I AM NOT BEGINNING TO LIKE YOU" She yelled again.
"Okay, okay…" He laughed and just then, the car suddenly took a halt. Gray cursed, annoyed.
"What happened?" Lucy asked.
"Let me check" gray replied as he got out of the car and began to examine it, "tough luck… flat tyre and I've got no spares at the moment. Plus, it's too late to call anyone. I'm afraid we have to go by foot from here"
Lucy got out of the car and they began to walk side by side. And then came the pitter-pattering droplets of water. Lucy and Gray both looked up at the sky as the rain began to pour down, heavier by the minute.
"Well…tougher luck?" Gray shrugged and Lucy couldn't help but giggle. It was just so easy to laugh around him.
"I love the rain" Lucy said, "I used to think it was very 'romantic' to get caught in the rain with someone" Her expression felt as she said this. Gray noticed but thought better than to ask right now.
"I love the rain too" Gray admitted, "I think it's fun…"
"Don't you just love staring up into the sky as the rain pours on you?" She said as she stretched her arms out and looked into the sky.
"Umm…the parts of rain that I think are best are the puddles. The way you can just splash them as you stamp into them" He laughed as he stepped into a puddle and the water splashed towards Lucy"
"Eeww!" Lucy laughed along.
"Your house's pretty far and this looks like it's a storm. I think we should go to my place, it's just around the corner" Gray suggested.
"Umm… I don't know…"
"You can leave as soon as the rain stops – provided it DOES stop at all tonight"
Lucy looked uncomfortable for a while but finally she just gave in.
Gray's home was quite different from what she expected. Unlike most males whose homes she had happened to see, his was quite neat, clean and organized. But that wasn't the only thing that was different. In a simple manner, Gray's house could be compared with an overly large igloo. It was really cold in there.
"Um, I guess I'll turn of the air condition now. You must be cold." Gray said.
"Yeah… how do you stay here in so much cold?"
"Adaptation, you can say." He replied. Time was running out…Valentine prom was only ten days away and even though he had managed to get Lucy out of that 'stay-away-from-me' phase, he knew that wasn't enough to have her say she 'loves' him. Truly speaking, he was having his own complicated thoughts too. He actually really thought he shouldn't be doing this; Lucy was a really sweet girl and…there were times when she reflected some kind of sadness. How could anyone want to hurt a girl like that? He cared about her… She had become a part of his friends, how could he not?
Someday, she would hate him… he knew that as well as he knew his name. Maybe knowing that the day would come soon when he wouldn't be able to talk to her like he can now, was why he had to make the most of it.
"Hey Luce," He called out to her and she looked at him, "Come, I wanna show you something" He took her hand and led her further into his house till they reached a REALLY large mirror.
"Um…Gray? You wanted to show me…this?" Lucy asked with perplexity evident in her features. Gray snorted and pulled her nose teasingly.
"No silly. Why would I want to show you a mirror" He laughed and then began to slide the mirror towards the left, revealing a hidden room.
Lucy's lips formed into an 'o' as she stared at the room that was coming into view, realizing that the mirror was actually a door.
"Well come on, we can't keep this place open too long" He urged, pulling her in and sliding the 'mirror-door,' as she liked to call it, close. Lucy rubbed her arms desperately for heat as she looked around in amazement. The room was full of ice sculptures of so many types and each of which were so beautiful and so detailed that they were difficult to believe!
"Y-you made all these?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah…" Gray replied as he came from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Lucy at first felt a jolt of electricity from within herself at the sudden contact but eventually relaxed, "You're feeling really cold…" Gray noted. For one thing, Lucy was pleased that due to the cold, the blush that she could feel but couldn't control forming on her cheeks was being hidden pretty well.
"Who's that?" Lucy asked pointing at the life-size sculpture at the center. Gray hesitated for a moment and his grip on her tightened.
"T-that's…Ur. Ur Milkovich. My stepmother. She was the one who taught me to make these." He told her and Lucy could feel the pain he felt as he said this.
"She's not…" Lucy couldn't complete her sentence because she knew the impact it would have. Even so, Gray understood.
"Yes. She is. She passed away when I was just eleven."
"I-I'm so sorry…" Lucy began to say.
"No don't worry about it. I'm pretty much used to it now."
Common, I don't think I can keep you warm enough this way so it's best we go out now.
"You must be hungry" Gray said as he slid the mirror-door close, "The rain's stopped… but it's already midnight. I can't let you go home so late, it's not safe. You'll just have to spend the night here."
"B-but –" Lucy began to protest but she was silenced by a finger placed gently on her lip. Lucy swallowed her words and her throat went dry. She didn't move an inch. Gray smiled slightly and then walked away but Lucy remained there frozen, her heart rate the speed of a running cheetah. She shook her head in an effort to get her thoughts straight and began to follow Gray.
"You can cook?" Lucy asked, shock evident in her tone, as she watched Gray entering his kitchen.
"Any doubts?" He joked, putting on an apron.
"So you…can cook?" Lucy still couldn't believe it.
"No Luce… I'm just modeling for a cookery show" And there was NO way she could have missed the sarcasm he put in as he said this. Lucy giggled slightly.
"You know…your laugh's pretty cute. You should laugh more often" Lucy blushed at his comment and walked over to him.
"What are you making?" She asked.
"Pasta" He said as he expertly began to prepare the said meal. Lucy watched again with amazement. It was like he was just so full of surprises that no matter how much she got to know him, there'd always be more and that wasn't the problem… the problem, as Lucy already knew, was that she wanted to know. She wanted to know all those things he kept inside him… and more than that, she wanted to tell him, all the things SHE kept inside. She wanted to, but she knew she couldn't… She couldn't make the same mistake all over again. She could let him become too important. But that didn't mean that she couldn't be his friend or that he couldn't be hers.
"Hey, you've been standing here like that all this time. Something wrong?" He asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked at the big bowl in his hand filled with pasta which in the looks of it was made in cheese sauce. If she didn't know better, she'd be drooling.
Gray walked outside into his backyard and Lucy followed. His backyard was also pretty unique. There was a hammock hanging from a tree, a tent and a telescope.
'Don't tell me he's into Astronomy too' she thought to herself.
Gray sat on the swing, "Hey Luce, come on" he called out to her and she walked over. He shifted in slightly and she sat beside him. Gray took some pasta and held it towards Lucy. She stared at it for a moment and then finally opened her mouth as he fed her. Gray reached out to her and pushed back a strand of her golden hair. Lucy averted her eyes but then slowly began to look up into his eyes.
'Captivating' she thought. They were the most captivating set of orbs she had ever come across. They were to type that a person could drown in…so deep…and those orbs reflected so many emotions – kindness, compassion, sadness and care... lots and lots of affection. She could feel the desire to hold onto his muscular torso, feel the softness of his raven mane. So much…
Suddenly she just stood up. Tears forming on the lids of her eyes. Why was it so hard? Why was it so hard to keep herself from him? What made him different from the other guys she had avoided for so long? But he wasn't just different from them… He was different from any guy she had ever liked before. She was finally coming to terms with her feelings… those feelings of jealousy that she had felt from time to time as well as those feelings of desire; she was beginning to fall for him. He was becoming someone important – too important.
She had wanted so much to avoid him but each and every time, she just found herself attracted to him. She wanted to trust him so bad, to believe in him… but she knew from experience that it was no good. She couldn't let it all happen again.
She was just 'fallING' for him… she hadn't yet, completely fallen for him and so things weren't so bad just yet. But how long could she keep herself from falling for him? How could she stop her newly forming feelings from progressing into something even greater?
(Cut! Great shot Gray, Lucy. That almost looked real!
Gray- that's because it was
Lucy- ahem… *blush*
Ok so there you have it! The Valentines' Special part 1! What made this chapter so special? Well for me, it was the fact that Lucy FINALLY came to terms with her newly forming feelings towards Gray. I had more to put into the Valentines' special but it just wouldn't fit in a single chapter! So for that reason, I decided to divide the Valentine's special into parts.)
NEXT CHAPTER: THE VALENTINES' SPECIAL PART 2! As a little spoiler, I'll inform you guys that this chapter is about Mirajane's welcome-back party. It's my FAVOURITE chapter and I hope it'll be yours too! Its PURE GrayLu!
DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! PLEASE TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEW IF YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER AND MAYBE YOU CAN SHARE WHAT YOU LIKED MOST ABOUT IT TOO :D
Until Next time,
Ja'Ne!