Hello all! This is my first GrayLu fic ever, so it's definitely not perfect. I'd appreciate any constructive feedback you could give, particularly on the character writing and pacing. This isn't outright juvia-bashing as I don't think the characters would do that, but it definitely points out her flaws. If you don't like that: just don't read. Go read something you know you'll enjoy. Life's too short.

"And they lived happily ever after. Until Natsu decided to destroy an entire town again. Err I mean… What name did I give him again?" Lucy was seated at her desk giving the finishing touches to her new manuscript. You could call it a novel, or you could call it her way of dealing with some anger. It all depends on perspective.

She stretched back from the desk and glanced outside, noticing the light of day slowly dissipating beneath the horizon. She had been writing for three hours at least. Oh how the time flew when you were inspired.

She got up to make herself a cup of hot chocolate in the kitchen before she heard a thud coming from her bedroom. She ran in and found Gray crawling out of the fireplace in nothing but his boxers.

"You should really get a ladder in there." He said as he stood up and dusted off some of the ashy residue.

"Gray! You couldn't use the door like a normal person?!"

"Depending on your definition of door, I did use one."

She sighed and ushered him to the table with her hand. "Do I need to lecture you again on privacy?"

"Well I checked through the window to make sure you weren't changing or anything before I came in." Lucy gave him a deadpan stare.

"I'm kidding." He laughed and sat on one of the chairs. He kept rubbing his palms on his boxers.

"So why exactly did you break into my apartment half naked this time?" She asked him as she took the seat beside him at the table.

"Uh, well, it's about Juvia. She… wrote me a letter." He wasn't looking at her, finding the words uncomfortable to form. "She said I need to give her an answer. That either we "consummate" our love -her words, not mine- or we end whatever "cat-and-mouse" game we're playing. Again, her words."

"Oh wow. That's… lovely." Her stomach was a bubbling pool of hot water. She tried not to think about what he could be thinking. Of course, it was no surprise. Juvia's infatuation with Gray was obvious to anyone who was dead or alive, but for it to be an actual possibility was something else. It always seemed a part of everyday life. Natsu destroys some buildings, Cana drinks a couple barrel's full, and Juvia declares her undying love. Nothing was supposed to come of it, right? That's how it seemed at least with Gray's apparent lack of interest.

"That's one way of describing it," Gray said, a grimace marring his face, "What am I supposed to do? " His voice held a sliver of panic as his eyes darted towards the window, seemingly searching for the blue-haired woman watching him in some hidden crevice. Lucy wouldn't put it past her.

She felt conflicted. On one hand, he was her friend and she should support him if he wanted to accept the confession. On the other, it caused a deep pain in her heart that was hard to ignore.

"What do you want to do?" She held her breath.

Gray sighed guiltily. "I don't know. I mean, she's pretty. And a great wizard. And can be really nice when you get to know her. But…"

"But?" Lucy's stomach twinged with hope.

"I don't have feelings for her. I see her as just a friend." She tried to keep a neutral face and not show her happiness at that confession, but her lips curled up anyway. She hoped it looked more like sympathy rather than delight.

"Does that make me a bad person?"

"No, it doesn't. You can't choose who you love."

"Yeah, I guess. So then what should I do? She's madly in love with me. And I'm not just saying that 'cause I have a big ego. It's not hard with other girls since they're usually just random faces around the guild. But she's a friend. And I don't want to break her heart." Lucy chose to ignore his casual admission that he had to reject girls on a regular basis. When she thought about it, she had never actually seen him with another girl in all the time she knew him.

"Well, you'll have to let her down gently and make sure she knows that you still view her as a good friend. But, you have to make sure she doesn't think there's any hope for you guys. That could make it worse." He looked thoughtful at that.

"Right, that makes sense. I just can't seem to find the right words. I don't want to be too insensitive and I've been told that's a problem of mine."

She laughed and felt that she had to agree with that sentiment. "Well, you should practise exactly what you're going to say then. And prepare for anything she'd say as well."

"Okay… Could you help me with that?" Lucy started at that. It wasn't a particularly strange request, but Gray hardly ever asked for help so this was out of the ordinary for him.

"Uhh sure." She considered how to go about it. "Well, why don't you pretend I'm Juvia and just say whatever it is you're feeling?"

"Alright." He nodded.

Her face morphed into a look of admiration and her hands were clasped together in front of her chest. "So Gray my Love, what's your answer to my letter?"

He rolled his eyes then his hand went to his heart regretfully, "Juvia, you flatter me, truly. But I can't. I see you as just a friend and nothing more. I'm sorry but that's the truth. But it pains me to see you in pain. You are too important for me to lose and I hope we can still be friends."

She laughed at his match to her dramatics, "Okay, good, but maybe tone it down a bit. No need to lay it on thick."

"Yeah I was kinda going for a confession of undying friendship. That doesn't work?"

She laughed, "You have to be a bit more blunt, but still sensitive to her feelings."

"And how exactly does that work?" She took a sip of her hot chocolate before continuing, appreciating the sweetness.

"Okay you could say something like this: Juvia, I'm sorry if anything I've said or done has led you to believe that I had feelings for you, but I don't. I just see you as a friend and that's it. There. Short, sweet and to the point."

"Okay, that could work." He sat deliberating, staring at the mug on the table. "Are you not going to offer me some hot chocolate too?"

She snorted. "Well, you don't have any regard for my privacy so why would you care about asking permission? There's still some on the stove." He smiled at that and got up to pour himself a cup. As he walked away, Lucy allowed herself to stare at the well-defined muscles of his arms. His broad shoulders weren't too bad either. She imagined herself running her fingers up those toned arms. Ones she knew from experience could lift her up with ease.

Stop it Lucy! Don't let yourself think that way. He's just a friend. There's nothing more to it.

She sighed to herself, taking a large gulp of hot chocolate. How would he react if she told him how she felt? It was sure to make things awkward between them and ruin their friendship forever. Their friendship was safe and comfortable. It was enough for her to see him everyday and fight alongside him on jobs. It was enough to be friends. At least, that's what she liked telling herself. Juvia was able to put herself out there so boldly no matter the consequences. Lucy wondered what it took for a person to have that much bravery that they could just bare their feelings to the whole world.

Gray returned shortly after making himself a cup and settled back in his seat. "I miss this."

"Miss what?"

"Us hanging out. It seems like we haven't in a while. You're always on missions with Natsu and Happy, and I… try to keep Juvia from bothering every person I talk to." He looked down guiltily, rubbing the rim of his mug.

"Oh come on, she's not that bad is she?"

He gave her a deadpan look, "Lucy, how many times had she threatened you again?"

She gave a slight grimace and looked away. "I guess you have a point."

"I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"What?"

The guilty look never left his face. "I should have done something. Defended you when she did those things. It wasn't right." Her heart hurt for him, that he felt guilty for not defending her, for letting her down.

"I don't blame you Gray. Besides, if anyone should apologise, it should be Juvia." His face remained downturned, a frown marring his face. She remembered seeing him devastated on Galuna Island, the pain in his eyes. After that, she hoped she would never see Gray sad again. "Hey. It's not your fault okay." She reached out and took ahold of his hand, rubbing circles into it.

"I'm scared that if I reject her, she'll blame you. And who knows what she'd do." Lucy squeezed his hand, thinking about the water wizard. Would she hurt her? Would Juvia go that far?

"I'm sure that if anything happens, the guild will help us. And I don't think Juvia would hurt me. She fought alongside me at the Tower of Heaven, remember? I have faith that our friendship is strong." He finally looked at her and gave her a small smile, squeezing her hand back. They remained in each other's gazes for a few moments longer before pulling apart and both reaching for their respective cups. The room felt hotter and her face started to burn. The hot pool of water sitting in her stomach now had a school of fish swimming in it.

"You make a mean hot chocolate, Lucy." Gray took a rather large gulp.

She blushed and smiled at her mug, "Thanks."

"You know, I haven't had hot chocolate since I was about eight. My mum used to make some every time there was a blizzard. It was the best way to keep warm." He had a faraway look, sifting through the memories.

"My mum used to do that too. There weren't blizzards where we lived, but it did snow sometimes. She would make some on the really cold nights." A smile played on her lips. Lucy didn't want to admit it to the others, but Gray was much easier to talk to about this stuff. Both of them had memories of their parents from before they died. Sometimes the memory of loss is harder than the loss of having memories of them at all.

"How about I teach you how I make it, and you can have your own hot chocolate every time there's a blizzard?" He looked at her gratefully, then leaned forward and grabbed her hand again.

"Or I could come over here and have some of yours."

Her inner voice was screaming at her to do something, anything; squeal, reply with something smooth, kiss him. Anything but what she did next.

Abruptly she stood up and announced, "I have laundry to do." She hurried into the kitchen and stared at the dirty dishes in the sink before starting to clean them. She didn't make it awkward, not one bit. It definitely didn't look like she was flustered. Nope!

He probably didn't mean it like that. Gray had always been friendly with her, and he was a natural smooth talker. There was no way that he was suggesting what her mind was screaming at her about.

"That doesn't look like laundry." She turned around and saw Gray leaning against the doorframe. His face was neutral, but his hands kept fidgeting with the empty mug. "Look, I didn't mean to be so forward. If that made you uncomfortable, I'm-"

"I'm not uncomfortable, Gray! Honest!" Her voice was too high pitched, so she cleared her throat and attempted a normal pitch, "Friends hang out during blizzards all the time. Last time there was a blizzard, Natsu almost set my kitchen on fire."

He snorted, "Sounds like the flame brain." He looked down like he was collecting his thoughts. "Lucy, you know why I said what I said, right?"

Her heartbeat quickened and she suddenly felt awkward just standing there with one hand in the sink. She shook her head, scared that if she spoke her voice would come out high-pitched again.

He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. His chest was still exposed, of course, and it was hard not to stare.

"I wanted you to know- When Juvia gave me that letter, it made me think about who I wanted to spend my time with. Who was special to me?" He looked into her eyes, determined. "A lot of people's faces came to mind, but yours was the first one I saw. It was so obvious. And I thought that I had been so stupid to just never do anything about it.

"I think about you the minute I wake up and right before I sleep. When I go on long jobs by myself, I think about how excited I am to see you again after being away so long. I love hearing about the adventures you have with Natsu because you're such an amazing storyteller. But I want to be a part of those adventures too. And I want you to be a part of mine."

She kept silent after his confession, a million feelings flooding her chest in a rapid pulse. Her face was still burning and the room just became Gray in front of her, his eyes silently asking, his breathing heavy, his hands fidgeting. But he looked relieved, like the biggest moment of his life had now passed, and he was just awaiting the response.

She swallowed. How could she even begin to tell him how she felt? It was like a million stars were lighting up the world every time she saw him. His smile was enough to make her day better. His voice kept her at ease in the worst of times. His touch sent shivers all the way to her heart. There was more she loved about him than letters in her novel.

"I- I'm…" He looked scared now, like he was regretting everything. But she couldn't let him feel that way.

"I can't imagine anyone else but you, Gray. I try to see myself with anyone but you, but you always find your way into that picture." He smiled at that and walked towards her until they were centimetres apart.

"That's the best thing I've heard all day." He cupped her face, the feel of his hand igniting her skin. "May I?"

She smiled and closed the distance, wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss was sweet and cool. She felt the cold from him immediately, but it didn't bother her. It was the kind of cold that reminded her of hot chocolate.

When they pulled apart, the smiles on their faces remained, as if they were painted on.

"I think Juvia has something to be angry about now." He said, leaning his forehead on hers.

"We'll deal with it later."