“So, I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast at the guildhall?” Gray asked.
“Sure, sounds good,” Lucy answered, for the fifth morning in a row. The exchange had become a nightly ritual, and Lucy couldn’t quite decide if that was a good thing or not.
Each of them had finally decided that enough was enough, so last month, in January, exactly eighteen days ago (although nobody was counting), each of them had managed to blurt out a shy but sincere confession to the other. Of course, neither of them had been able to hear the other person, since they were talking at the same time, but eventually it had gotten sorted out. They had spent most of their free time together ever since, as if making up for lost time, and Lucy was surprised by how much happier and relaxed she felt just knowing that Gray was there for her and finally knew how she felt.
Although Gray wasn’t the most demonstrative boyfriend—at least, not in public—he was very considerate. Lucy felt genuinely cared for, which was wonderful. For example, Gray made sure that Lucy got to walk on the smoothest part of the path when they were outside. If they were sitting with a big group of people, he would make sure that she had a comfortable seat and wasn’t perched precariously on the edge of a bench. If they’d been placed at a table that had a chair with wobbly legs, Gray would fix the problem and take the wobbly chair just in case.
Unfortunately, Lucy was beginning to realize that there was something wrong. They’d been going out together for less than three weeks, but something was missing. Worse, she had a feeling that Gray felt the same way. As embarrassing as it was, Lucy decided to seek expert advice.
“I’m—I just don’t understand. It wasn’t like this when we were just friends and teammates. I can’t quite explain it, but it feels like we used to laugh more, you know?”
Mirajane nodded understandingly at Lucy. Although Mira wasn’t really more than a couple of years older than most of the people she listened to, counseled, and occasionally pushed into relationships for their own good, she behaved as though she was everyone’s mother and most people simply went along with it. Probably because it’s comforting, Lucy thought.
“You know,” said Mirajane in a considering tone, “you’re both an unusual combination of serious and playful. I suspect that this is just a case of honeymoon jitters.”
“Honeymoon?! We’re not even engaged!” Lucy was almost too confused to blush, but not quite. She felt her cheeks redden. “Um, I mean, we’re just—you know—starting to get to know each other a bit better? Other than as just friends, I mean.” Lucy frowned for a moment. “Although I don’t like the expression ‘just friends’, because friends are really important to me as well.”
Mirajane smiled fondly at the other woman. Lucy had her flaws—they all did—but she truly embodied Fairy Tail’s most important precept: that the bonds of friendship were at the core of their strength.
“I tend to refer to the early days of any romantic relationship as the honeymoon phase. I didn’t mean to startle you.” There was a glint in Mirajane’s eye that suggested that she had already thought about Lucy and Gray’s wedding, honeymoon and possibly children, but she managed to keep most of that off her face, so Lucy let it slide.
“You’re going to have to explain what you mean, Mira,” Lucy said, trying to brace herself for whatever frank comments Fairy Tail’s hostess was about to make.
“Sure. It’s not meant to be complicated. I’ve noticed that most people get along well at the beginning of a relationship because both parties are trying hard to please the other person. Eventually, that wears off a bit, and they start behaving more normally again, which means more arguments, usually, but also more…” Mirajane paused, searching for a word. “… Well, more excitement, I guess, although that’s not quite it either. It’s a quirk that humans have: most of us don’t want to be handled with kid gloves all of the time. The trick is to find the right balance.”
Mirajane watched Lucy trace a design on the top of the bar with her finger. Unlike others, the oldest Strauss sibling didn’t underestimate Lucy’s intelligence, so she thought that Lucy would probably figure out for herself what was going on, now that she’d been pointed in the right direction.
“I think,” said Lucy slowly, “what you’re saying is that we’re not being entirely ourselves with each other—we’re being careful and kind and that’s great, but we’re not doing any of the crazier things that we’ve done for so long as teammates. And we’ve kind of lost that connection. Or maybe misplaced it.”
“Is that a possibility?” Mirajane asked.
“Maybe,” said Lucy. “In which case we need to get out and have some fun—not exactly a date, more like a play date.” She looked at Mirajane and suddenly giggled. “Oh for the gods’ sake I sound like we’re five!”
Her confidant laughed. “Play like you’re five, if you must—not in here!—but remember that you’re adults and there are more, ah, adult ways to play once you’re done with being five.”
“Mira! I don’t want to hear it, okay? We’re working on that.” Lucy’s blush deepened again.
“If you’re calling it work—“
“Enough! Thank you! I’m out of here!”
The playground was covered in a thin layer of snow. It was deserted, other than by Lucy, who sat on one of the icy swings twirling absently first in one direction and then the other. She was rapidly coming to the conclusion that this was a dumb idea. Maybe she’d taken the whole concept too literally and—
“Hey Luce! Jeez you look cold…” Suddenly Gray’s voice went from concerned to teasing. “You need a push? You don’t seem to be getting far.”
Lucy opened her mouth to respond and then gasped as strong arms pulled the swing a long way back—and higher than Gray could have reached without some ice magic—and then let go. For a moment, she thought she was going to go shooting straight off the seat, but her gloved hands tightened around the thin chains holding up the swing and she only slid a little at the top of the arc. The downward curve was fast enough to make her feel a slight swoop in her stomach. Then she noticed the almost transparent webbing of ice keeping her somewhat more safely in place, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the ride.
Not too long afterwards, Gray brought the swing to a halt and Lucy all but toppled into his arms trying to stand up. Her legs felt a bit rubbery but she was grinning. Gray hesitated a moment, then smiled back. He gave Lucy a quick kiss on the lips, and then rubbed his hands together and looked around.
“So, I have absolutely no idea what we doing in a kids’ playground, but since there aren’t any kids around, maybe we can jazz things up a little.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, um, better swings and… a really good slide… and…”
Lucy stood and watched as Gray transformed the park around them. He completely redid the swings, turned the slide into a fabulous twisting, curving dragon of ice and the industrial plastic playhouse-fort went from being dismal to awe-inspiring. Eventually, Lucy had to tug on Gray’s arm to get his attention.
“This is awesome but what’s it for?”
He looked stymied for a moment, the turned a bit red.
“I thought, since you wanted to come here, it might as well have a bit more to it, you know?”
“The playhouse has towers! Gray, it’s amazing! And I so want to try the slide. But wasn’t that an awful lot of magic power?”
They gazed around at the park, which was now a glittering children’s fantasy out of ice, complete with—as Lucy had pointed out—a turreted castle.
Lucy shivered slightly. Gray didn’t look the least bit cold, but with all the ice, the park was now distinctly chilly.
“Oh, sor—“
“Don’t!” cried Lucy. “Don’t apologize! This is great—I’m fine, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay… Um, as for the power, well I kind of needed to train anyway.” Gray’s mouth quirked back into a smile. “I, uh, haven’t been fighting Natsu so much lately, so it’s good to stretch a bit.”
“Yeah. I guess spending time with me is kind of getting in the way of—“
“No way, don’t say it! I really, really want to spend time with you.”
They looked at each other for a few moments.
“Slide?” asked Lucy, just as Grey was about to speak. “Then try out the swings?”
The slide was just as amazing as it looked and wide enough to go down together. Unfortunately, by Lucy’s third trip down she really was shivering. Gray scooped her up, tucked his own coat around her over the too-light jacket that she’d worn, and fastened her scarf more firmly. She laughed as she stood there with Gray doing up the too-big coat right to her chin.
“Seriously, Gray, I really do feel like a little kid with their mom putting on all the poofy extra layers!”
Gray gave her a cautious look then burst out laughing as well.
“To be honest, Lucy… do you remember the other me—I mean from Edolas?”
“That bad??!!” Lucy tried to swat him on the arm, but it was fairly ineffective. She had to admit, he looked very, very good standing there in the fairy-ice park wearing nothing but his favourite jeans and a close-fitting dark t-shirt.
“Okay, really, you just look super-cute in my coat. I may have to loan it to you.” He hugged her close, despite being out where anyone could see. “Shall we tour the castle, princess?”
“In a minute.”
Lucy moved just enough so that she could look up at Gray. She was good at reading, writing, and talking about things, but right now… She stretched up slightly onto her toes, wrapping her arms around Gray’s neck. Happily, he took the hint, and their lips met in perfect accord.
“I’m jus’ tryin’t’get w’rrm,” Lucy told him, pressing herself as close as she could wearing two coats, one of them too obviously too big.
Gray responded by deepening the kiss and wrapping one arm tightly around Lucy so that she didn’t lose her balance. They stood like that for quite some time, lips parted but mouths locked together, tongues exploring, arms twined around each other. Lucy felt surprisingly overheated despite the cold.
“Wow.” Gray blinked down at Lucy. “You’re really amazing.”
“I thought you already knew that,” she retorted.
“Well, now I know it more. Let’s try necking in the ice castle.”
Lucy blushed slightly but went willingly. Thanks to Gray’s magic, they had no trouble reaching the small room at the top of the highest tower. It wasn’t especially high, of course, but it was a little more private. Lucy peered down at the playground, which was starting to attract attention. In a stern voice, Gray told Lucy that she should be admiring his handiwork, not staring out the window at random peasants.
“The random peasants are getting closer, my lord,” she replied deferentially.
“Well in that case, I suppose I’d best kiss the princess while I can.”
Rather unexpectedly, Gray deftly tugged the scarf away from Lucy’s neck and started pressing decidedly warm kisses along the skin between her left ear and shoulder. Lucy shivered from something other than cold when the lowest kiss became more insistent, and Gray’s mouth and teeth started to leave a bruise at the point where her neck met her shoulder.
“Ummmmm… if you kiss the princess, won’t she turn into a frog or something?” Lucy’s voice sounded oddly unfocussed, and she found herself standing very still, as if otherwise she might buckle at the knees.
“I like Frosch,” murmured Gray into her ear as he carefully replaced the scarf.
“Mmmm. I could get a Frosch onesie made I suppose…”
“I’d like to see that.”
Lucy knew that they were exchanging nonsense, but she hadn’t felt this kind of fuzzy, aroused-but-relaxed warmth with Gray before. She decided that she might try another play date in the future, if they ever started to overthink things again. Sometimes, you just had to find a good ice castle to neck in.
This is my late submission for @graylu-fluff-fest 2017! ^^; as continuation from graylu week ‘16, so this fanmix has lots of kpop and k-indie and from upbeat to ballad (it will lead to the angst week ;p). Actually I wanted to make some fanfics using the prompt set but I need some time and muse for writing. Meanwhile enjoy this fanmix and happy listening! (´▽｀)ノ♪
FANMIX FOR GRAYLU FLUFF FEST 2017:
1 ~ CNBLUE – LOVE GIRL [ boy ]
>> “My heart goes thump thump, when I look at you. I will always have you in my heart.”
2 ~ I.O.I – Very Very Very [ girl ]
>> “People say guys are all the same, do not to believe them when they say I love you. Because even before they really love, they just say the words.”
>> “Sit closer, whatever it’s okay. You can’t hide it, I want to know more about you. I think it’s now, the atmosphere is good. It’s just the two of us, I want to kiss you.”
4 ~ FTISLAND – I Wish [ boy ]
>> “Even when I’m meeting someone else, I only see you. Even when I’m thinking about something else, I only see you. Even when I see someone else, I have no interest. Why am I acting this way, like a fool?”
5 ~ G.NA – Black & White [ girl ]
>> “Black and white Black and white. You and I are Black and White. I’m hot and you’re cool. It’s a mystery we’re a couple.”
>> “Every morning when it becomes bright. My heart trembles at the dream of you last night. I can almost see it but I can’t, I don’t know. I want to know your heart.”
7 ~ K.will – Love Blossom [ boy ]
>> “Spring comes, into this street. Spring comes, into my heart. Don’t know why I am so excited, oh.”
8 ~ Apink – Cause You’re My Star [ girl ]
>> “On this beautiful starry night. I can feel the dazzling you. Will you come to me like the shooting stars? Every day and night you’re my star.”
9 ~ AKMU – I Love You [ duet ]
>> “My eyes go to you automatically. It’s not even like the print on your clothes are eye-catching. Even when I’m doing something else all day. This person is quite alright.”
>> “You’re beautiful. Don’t we look good together? I always imagine it like this, you be with me with me. You’re beautiful. What will we be like together? I always imagine it like this. You be with me with me.”
11 ~ JUNIEL – I Think I’m in Love [ girl ]
>> “Sunday morning, I smell the mocha coffee. As if I’m having a good dream, I start my day. Suddenly, my heart starts to flutter. Your short message wakes me up in the morning.”
12 ~ IU feat. Jang Yijeong (HISTORY) [ duet ]
>> “Each minute, each second is so sweet. What is this man? I can’t help but to fall in love. All day, my heart rides on that clock hand. Getting closer to you with each tick.”
13 ~ GOT7 – Forever Young [ boy ]
>> “Miss you I really miss you. If you’re still not bored of me, I’ll sing a song for you. Turn the radio o-o-on, turn the radio o-o-on.”
14 ~ MAMAMOO – LOVE [ girl ]
>> “My empty heart feels weird these days. Love. Even the moonlit night makes me feel complicated. You, you, you, if you still awake. What are you thinking? You, you, you, if you feel alone. Do you feel the same?”
15 ~ [STATION] Yesung x Seulgi – Darling U [ duet ]
>> “I wanna hear the words I love you. What’s so hard about it? I’m a bit slow but I want to save it. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not because I don’t like you.”
16 ~ Junggigo feat. Minwoo – Too Good [ boy ]
>> “It feels like I’m living in a dream every day. I’m still not used to this kind of life. When I’m with you, the stars twinkle during the day.”
17 ~ Secret – Starlight Moonlight [ girl ]
>> “I keep thinking about you, my heart trembles secretly. What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? I’ve never felt like this before.”
18 ~ G.NA feat. Huh Gak – Same Thoughts [ duet ]
>> “I keep thinking about you, my heart trembles secretly. What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? I’ve never felt like this before.”
19 ~ Yu Seung Woo feat. Louie of Geeks – You’re Beautiful [ boy ]
>> “Because you’re beautiful. Because that face is so beautiful. I couldn’t say what I planned to say. When you smile, the whole world stops.”
20 ~ GLAM – Give It 2 U [ girl ]
>> “My heart, I’ll give it to you. Only to you, wanna give it to you. Now I don’t even see other people.”
21 ~ Baek A Yeon feat. JB (GOT7) [ duet ]
>> “Should I just call you once? I just got curious about you. How are you doing these days? I wanna ask. There’s no other intention. I just keep thinking about you.”
22 ~ Brother Su – It Was You [ boy ]
>> “The one who dried my tearful eyes it was you. Could you be my darling? Now I’ll be the one who holds you.”
23 ~ Han SoA – My Heart Stolen You [ girl ]
>> “Saying I like you, saying I love you. It’s not enough to show you my heart- don’t you know? Saying you’re mine, saying I miss you. If only you’ll say those things to me.”
24 ~ Amber Liu feat. Eric Nam – I Just Wanna [ duet ]
>> “When I first walked in the room. I saw your face. Baby girl I was so amazed. I caught you smiling back at me. But I didn’t know what to say.”
25 ~ Jooyoung – Same As You [ boy ]
>> “Can I love you forever more. I just wanna love you.”
26 ~ Lucite Tokki – Dugeun Dugeun [ girl ]
>> “ba-bum-ba-bum ba-bum-ba-bump. Thinking of only you. Every day every day my heart is filled with exciting feelings.”
27 ~ Byul feat. Kwon Jung Yeol – So Cute [ duet ]
>> “If you think about it, we fit together so well. Now I know, you are perfect for me. You are my better half.”
28 ~ Eric Nam – Love Song [ boy ]
>> “One small guitar and the beautiful you, I don’t wish anything anymore.”
29 ~ Bolbbagan4 – Grumpy [ girl ]
>> “You fluttered your tangled hair and came to me. I melted a little, I dropped the ice cream. When people stare, how should I look at you. I’ve been running towards, your patient hands.”
>> “The meaning of the feeling that comes upon me when you’re looking at me. And the scent I’ve left behind. For something else, there’s a different feeling. How when you’re eyes are still closed but you can still see everything. I wonder if your whole entire day was still beautiful without me.”
31 ~ GOT7 – Let Me [ boy ]
>> “Will you be by my side, by my side. Can I hold your hand? Don’t be shy.”
>> “I can see you from my room’s window, my heart is beating. Your bright smile, you and I are sweet, sweet, sweet.”
33 ~ Huh Gak x Zia – I Need You [ duet ]
>> “If I wait one more day, will I get an answer from you? Should I just confess to you? Please take one step toward me.”
34 ~ Crush – Beautiful [ boy ]
>> “It’s a beautiful life. I’ll stay by your side. It`s a beautiful life. I’ll stand right behind you, beautiful love. If I am with you under this sky.”
35 ~ G.NA – Would You Kiss Me? [ girl ]
>> “When did this begin, I guess the moment I first saw you. Every 1 minute 1 second, you keep coming onto mind. What are you doing…”
36 ~ Jungkook x Lady Jane – I’m in Love [ duet ]
>> “To be honest from our first meeting, saying I like you wasn’t an easy thing for me to do.”
Before I announce the prompts for this year, I just want to apologize yet again for the lack of organization and activity you’ve seen from us this year. I know some of you might be sick of hearing this from us over and over again, but the truth is that we’ve been really busy. Every time I make progress on this blog, I’m given new things to do irl and my outside life will always be my first priority over tumblr. I really hope that next year, Mod Becca and I can get things more active around here. I also apologize for the lack of time you guys have to write, draw, etc compared to last year. I hope we can all make the best of what we have this year.
So, with that being said, here are the prompts for the 2017 Graylu fluff fest!
Prompts
Day 1: Play Date
Day 2: Winter
Day 3: Piggyback
Day 4: Warm and Fuzzy
Day 5: Firework
Day 6: A Walk in the Park
Day 7: Double Date
Bonus: Karaoke Night
Rules/Guidelines
Make sure one of your first 5 tags is “graylu fluff fest” or we won’t be able to see it.
Smut is allowed, but please make sure to tag the posts as “nsfw”. Also, any works that contain non-con, BDSM, abuse, etc. will not be accepted.
No brotp, please!
No reposting or plagiarism is allowed. All work submitted must be your own.
The prompt set is optional! We have provided you with some guidelines you may use, but you are allowed to use your own ideas as well.
Late submissions will be accepted, but please refrain from submitting early.
Remember to have fun and enjoy this wonderful ship! ^-^ (here is the link to the official rules/info page: http://graylu-fluff-fest.tumblr.com/rulesandinfo)
Happy lunar new year for those who celebrate it! We hope that you can enjoy it with your family and friends and we also hope that this year will bring more joy and luck! ;)
Since the new year has arrived (although we know that a few more days we would part with the month of January ;p) we can look back at all that we have achieved. We’ve done so much last year so we should all be really proud of what we’ve accomplished.
We also need to pat ourselves on the back and celebrate all the wonderful events presented by our graylu family. We’ve had GRAYLU FLUFF FEST (07-14 Feb), GRAYLU LOVE FEST (08-15 July), GRAYLU WEEK (01-07 Sept), and GRAYLU DAY aka LOVE LOVE DAY (06 Sept). It’s so heartwarming when the events were held and we rejoice with others.
As for this year we will have more events to come so that friends and family can join and experience new and exciting things. Started at the beginning of this month we had GRAYLU SECRET SIBLING GIFT EXCHANGE 2017, a mini event from 1 until 7 January, and beside the existing events we will have GRAYLU ANGST WEEK (06-12 May) for the first time.
Go follow the blogs if you haven’t and share the graylu love! << @graylu-fluff-fest , @graylulovefest , @graylu-angstweek , @fyeahgrayluweek >>
Last but not least, it’s always an exciting time to be a part of GRAYLU family! *cheers*
Words: ~ 3300 | Cover Art by @miss-zei by commission
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 [here]
Read on: ff.net HERE | AO3 HERE
Summary:
Gray and Lucy finally decided to go out, but they quickly discover that being lovers is more than just declaring that they’re in a relationship. [Chap.2: Gray has a surprising idea for getting away from all the people, but needs Lucy to trust him.]
[I] - Too Many People
"You guys are doing a lot better now, aren't you?" asked Mirajane rather smugly, the morning after Gray and Lucy's play date at the park.
Gray's cheeks reddened a little, and he ignored Mira in favour of his breakfast, leaving Lucy to grin at Fairy Tail's hostess, bartender and demon-mage.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Mira, but yes." Lucy composed her face into a suitably puzzled face, while Mirajane rolled her eyes at Lucy's nonsensical—but telling—response.
"So—"
"Mira," said Lucy gravely, "you're my friend and you give great advice, but—"
"Okay, okay! Just let me know if either of you need any more food—or a room…"
"Mira!"
The lovely, white-haired mage sauntered away snickering, and Lucy turned back to Gray a little anxiously. She knew he wasn't really one for big scenes. He surprised her with a crooked smile.
"It's okay, Luce. Thanks for getting Mirajane to lay off a bit, but I don't mind as much as it probably looks. I mean, at least she thinks we're good together, right?"
Lucy released an anxious breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It was comforting to know that Gray was making a sincere effort to cope with the extra attention—and that he could even see an upside to it.
"Yeah. I shouldn't get so worried, I guess."
Gray's dark eyes met hers and he reached across the table to take her hand.
"I wish you wouldn't get so worried about how I'm going to react. I'm not going to suddenly change my mind about us you know—definitely not for a bit of embarrassment here or there."
"Right. Right, of course." Lucy didn't feel up to explaining that old reflexes—in this case from a long-past relationship—tended to die hard.
Just then, Erza came in with Natsu, who appeared to be trying to explain something to her.
"But I've been training super hard, I swear! I can help!"
"It's an S-class mission and you're not qualified." Erza's voice had the edge of somebody who had been saying the same thing for the past ten or fifteen minutes.
"I'll bet I am! It's not my fault that—"
Erza spun around suddenly and straight-armed Natsu in the chest. He staggered, but didn't go flying as he might have once.
"Okay, Natsu—"
"I can come!" Ever optimistic, Natsu rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"No. But you can meet me outside in an hour, and if you can beat me then you can come."
"Yusssss!" Natsu had absolutely no fault to find with this, and seemed fully prepared to start something right away.
"I want my breakfast," said Erza firmly.
"Right, right. So I'll see you after break—"
"In an hour. Outisde. Behind the guildhall."
Giving up, Natsu looked around, saw his friends, and sat down with them.
"You should see this quest! I mean, we can totally do it—just a volcano that's acting up, and some kind of weird cult and a city in danger. We've handled that kind of thing tons of times."
"Once," commented Gray laconically. He had unobtrusively given Lucy's hand a last squeeze before letting go of it. Lucy had a feeling that he was actually least comfortable behaving as a couple around their own teammate. "And Erza had to save our butts."
"Okay, yeah, but that was ages ago!"
"Why not just pick a different quest?"
"All I have to do is beat Erza in an hour."
"Okay. Lucy and I will just look at the regular job board—you know the not-S-class-job-board —while you're getting ready for Erza to trash you again."
Natsu scowled.
"Look, Ice Princess—"
"Yeah, Charcoal Brain? You want to tell me how your one-hundred-and-seventeenth time is going to be different from all the others?"
"Well, it will!"
Gray opened his mouth for the obvious rejoinder, saw Lucy's look of chagrin, snapped his teeth shut and drained his coffee. She knew that they'd play the "yes it will—no it won't" game for a couple of minutes and then brawl. But he was supposed to be having breakfast with her, not fighting with Natsu.
"Would you like anything more, Luce?" He did his best to ask casually, as if he wasn't breaking years of Natsu-pummeling tradition.
"No, I'm good. But thanks, Gray." Her smile was like gold, he thought. To hell with fighting Natsu, maybe it was time to grow up.
"Natsu?"
The pink-haired mage looked surprised. "You offering to get me something?"
"Yep. Once-in-a-lifetime offer."
"Oh…. Well, if that's the case…"
Looking at Gray as if he'd suddenly turned into a frog or something, Natsu asked for food—of course—and Gray went to the bar to order. He wondered just how much his life was going to turn upside-down for Lucy. He watched Natsu and Lucy chat while he waited for the food. They were comfortable together, he thought. Would he ever be able to see them laughing and talking like that without getting that painful, internal dialogue about how he wasn't optimistic enough, cheerful enough, exciting enough? With a shake of his head, he carried the food back to the table, making a point of sitting next to Lucy, instead of across from her with Natsu.
"So you're planning to do some writing today?" he asked Lucy.
Natsu gave him another strange look and dove into his food.
"Yeah, I'm really hoping to get somewhere with it. The weather's kind of nasty, and we hadn't planned on going on a job—had we?"
"Only if we go without Erza, it looks like. Which is fine by me—might be good for us to stretch ourselves a bit, you know? Especially if"—he caught himself in time, and mentally subtracted "flame-brain" from the sentence—"Natsu figures we can do it."
The Fire Slayer was now staring at him open-mouthed, and Gray had to resist a strong desire to use his fist to make Natsu's jaws close. He was just trying to be mature. He felt his flush deepen as Lucy put a hand over her mouth as though to repress—or conceal—a laugh.
Natsu swallowed whatever he'd been chewing rather convulsively: "Uh, ice—uh, Gray—you feeling okay? 'Cause I can't remember the last time you called me Natsu and that's twice in ten minutes now."
"Do you prefer "flame-brain"? I don't mind using it, as long as we don't fight over it."
"What? No! I mean, no, of course I wouldn't prefer it! Geez Gray, what has gotten into you?" Natsu's face suddenly lightened and he set down his fork and sniffed the air. "Hey, wait a minute, are you two going out now or something?"
Lucy uttered a muffled cry of exasperation, and that helped Gray not to lunge at Natsu.
"Of course we are, you dork. We've been going out together for almost three weeks!"
"Huh, I hadn't noticed before."
Great. Just what I needed to hear. Gray tried to look around surreptitiously, but he shouldn't have bothered being careful. Everyone who was actually in the hall at this time of the morning—about half the guild, it seemed—was either staring openly or snickering quietly.
"Enjoy the food, I'm going to walk Lucy back to her place and then I'll be back to watch how badly Erza hurts you this time."
Natsu's mouth was full, but he rolled his eyes expressively. Gray helped Lucy up—not that she needed it, but since everyone was so interested he might as well get to hold her hand for a moment. On a more conciliatory note, he told Natsu:
"On the off-chance you win, I'll be standing by to go with you, how's that?"
"Okay. You'll come too, Lucy?"
Lucy nodded, still repressing a strong desire to giggle at Gray's attempts to deal with Natsu otherwise than with his fists and magic. It was honestly very sweet him; the truth was that her giggles were at least partly on account of nerves, because Natsu's comments together with Gray's behaviour had thrown her a bit. After spending so long thinking about going out together, had it really taken them almost three weeks to start to gel as a couple? And what exactly was it that Natsu had noticed? On second thought, she didn't want to think about that.
Gray and Lucy made their way out of the hall without looking at each other, but once they were outside in the crisp February air their joint sighs of relief caused them to exchange rather rueful smiles. Gray ran a hand through his hair in typical fashion for him when he was thinking or embarrassed, making half of it stand up on end.
"Er… I'm not quite sure what to say…"
"Oh well," Lucy said practically, rubbing gloved hands together, "nothing we can do about it now, right?"
"Yeah. So, you good with me coming back to see Natsu get smacked down again?"
"Yes, of course. I don't think everything has to change between us and our friends, you know."
"I know, it's just that I feel like you ought to have more of my attention than that pink-haired dork."
They started walking toward Lucy's place, and Lucy had to admit that it was nice to have somebody to walk with who was special in a different way than a friend. If nothing else, Gray made a point of blocking the wind, and steered her away from the canal and the worst patches of ice. They trudged up the stairs to Lucy's apartment, and Lucy let herself in.
Gray ran his hand through his hair again. Yesterday evening had been different—the afternoon out had felt special, and the sunset had been beautiful… Now it was just a grey late winter morning, with a few tiny snowflakes falling and a rather chilling wind—chilling for Lucy, anyway. Lucy looked up at him, hesitated, and then pulled him inside, so that the door latched behind him. It was a tremendous relief when she reached her arms up around his neck and kissed him, so that he could stop worrying about what to do. He had no hesitation at all in kissing her back; it was just knowing where to start that he still found tricky.
Surprisingly, to Gray at least, they had no difficulty in rekindling the feeling of the evening before, which had led to some very serious making out on Lucy's couch after dinner. Just thinking about it now, with his fingers in her hair, was making his body heat up … a lot. He finally caught his breath, trying to remember that he had to leave. Maybe it was just as well that the wind outside was so cold.
Instead of leaving, though, he heard himself voicing some of the thoughts he'd had the night before when he was walking home from Lucy's.
"I was wondering if you'd be willing to go on a vacation with me—out of town, I mean. It's totally okay if you're not comfortable with the idea or too busy here, or think we should get a couple of jobs done or whatever, but I wanted to ask."
Lucy was silent for a moment, still recovering from the last nerve-tingling kiss, which she could have sworn she'd felt right down her toes and in all the important places in between. Then she registered surprise.
"You mean—just the two of us?" Her deep brown eyes, which always showed everything she felt—laughter, anger, sadness, joy—reflected how taken aback she was by the suggestion. A vacation alone together, overnight or over a few nights, implied certain possibilities.
Gray knew that his cheeks were red, but he bit back the words of apology that had formed on his tongue the moment Lucy had hesitated. He didn't want to pressure her—at all—but he did want her to know what he wanted, which was mostly a chance to get away from the guild, from their teammates, from everyone who knew them and wanted to poke their noses into stuff that should be just between Lucy and him. He thought he'd better make that clear though.
"Yeah, just the two of us. We don't have to share a room, if you don't want to. We can take things totally slowly, that's not a problem. It's mostly to have some time to ourselves. Honestly, I can afford it right now, and I think you're caught up on your rent for once"—he smirked slightly at Lucy, trying to break the tension a little—"so you don't absolutely need a job in the next week or so, right?"
"That's true," Lucy agreed, her eyes now fixed on his face. He could hear a trace of doubt in her voice, but also interest. To his great relief, she didn't seem to be angry or think that he was being a complete jerk.
"I mean, I love being outside, I love the winter—and it's a lot shorter here than where I'm from—but I also think I could be happy just hanging out inside with you, too. It's dumb, but I like working on stuff while you write. It's comfortable. I know we just started going out, practically, but we've known each other for over two years now, right? I think—I hope you know—you can trust me."
He could see that Lucy was beginning to look more and more sold on the idea. He wasn't sure what had tipped the scales; she'd probably just needed to think about it a bit.
"So where would we go?" Lucy asked. She was still wearing her coat, but she'd unbuttoned it and taken off her gloves, and Gray was getting distracted again by her curves.
"There's a place about four or five hours northwest. We'd be able to take a carriage west along the main road to Crocus for most of it, and then it's just a short distance into the central mountains." Gray looked down. "Maybe it's a dumb idea. It's just a small town in a deep valley in the foothills but it's pretty. It's safer than the wild area north of Mount Hakobe and less expensive than the resorts closer to the rail line."
"And fewer people?" suggested Lucy with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Yeah…" admitted Gray. "Plus it backs right up against the mountains. But thinking about it—I don't know if you'd like it." Then he shrugged. "They've got a couple of nice chalets though, and I think the rooms are pretty cosy. Fireplaces, reading nooks, that kind of thing."
"You think?"
"Well, I only saw those places in passing. I was staying a little farther into the hills, not in town. Look—I've got to get going. Will you think about it?"
Lucy took a deep breath, and then smiled.
"I'll go. I think you're right about getting away for a while. As long as we stay in town in a decent place and not in some guy-shack in the woods."
"You will? I mean, that's great! And no problem—I swear, no guy-shacks. Is that even a word?"
"Well it should be if it isn't."
"So tomorrow? The day after?"
"Whenever you want," said Lucy recklessly. She usually liked to be organized about things, but she'd had to become a lot more adaptable when she'd joined Team Natsu. "Heck, we've gone on longer trips for jobs with almost no time to pack at all."
"So, you're going to come with me on vacation, just the two of us, to a place where it's colder and there's probably more than just a dusting of snow?"
"Yep. You obviously miss having a real winter, even if you can sort of make your own. Besides, this way you'll really owe me, right?"
Gray lifted her off her feet and grinned up at her. "You are the best."
"Thanks, but you're going to be late to see Natsu fight Erza."
"Fuck Natsu."
Lucy arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Gray crushed her in a tight hug and then set her down. "You know what I mean. Fine. I'll go pick up the pieces of Natsu's sorry carcase—again—and then I'll find out about a carriage, and then I'll be back. Don't change your mind."
"I won't. Promise." Lucy made a shooing gesture.
"Trust me?"
Their eyes met and Gray found himself holding his breath. Then Lucy nodded firmly:
"Yeah."
[II] - Keep Me Warm
They were in the small town of Wisteria Hills by mid-afternoon the next day. The trip had been uneventful, if a little rough, but there was something to be said for not travelling with a motion-sick Natsu and a hyper-active Exceed. As Gray had predicted, it was a little colder and a lot snowier, but it was definitely pretty.
The chalet had offered them a choice of rooms on the second floor, and the owner had taken them around himself so that they could decide what they wanted. Gray was more than a little tense, since Lucy hadn't given him an answer on the question of one room or two, and she'd been pretty quiet on the second half of the trip down. Not unhappy, exactly, but thoughtful and less talkative than usual.
The second of the three rooms available was perfect. It had a big desk at a bow window for Lucy, a cosy bedroom area with a large four-poster bed, and a couch and two squashy chairs around a small but serviceable fireplace with split logs ready and waiting to be kindled. Lucy and Gray's eyes met behind the owner's back as he extolled the advantages of the room—really a suite, he pointed out, if you considered the extra space for the sitting area around the fireplace. Gray shrugged at Lucy: it was her call; he'd made that clear from the start.
Lucy leaned forward and tapped the owner politely on the shoulder. He turned immediately.
"Yes ma'am? Do you have any questions?"
"No. It's just what we're looking for, we'll take it."
Gray felt his heart thud against his ribs, and for close to a minute he could only hear the rushing of blood in his ears. He managed to catch the tail-end of Lucy's brief conversation with the owner:
"…well, we're not sure, but at least three days. Is there any problem?"
"None at all. Let's get your bags up here, shall we?" The hotelier had seen quite a lot after thirty years in the business, and a swift glance suggested to him that the young couple wouldn't mind a moment or two alone. "I'll go down and organize your keys and so on. I'll see you at the front desk, sir or ma'am, to arrange for the deposit?"
"Yes, I'll be right down," Gray replied, his eyes not leaving Lucy.
As soon as the door closed behind the man, Gray pulled Lucy close. "Thanks for giving me a chance," he said quietly into her ear. "I promise, you can trust me. But I'm really happy I can stay with you."
"Just make sure you keep me warm, Ice Prince."
"Not a problem, Lucy. You'll see."
[END]
Thank you for reading! If you have a moment, please leave a review or comment. Notes and reblogs are very much appreciated.
playdate: a date and time set by parents for children to play together
Day 1 is finally here! Today’s prompt is playdate. Feel free to interpret this in any way you want. If you wish, you don’t even have to follow the prompts! As long as it’s fluffy Graylu, we’ll love it :)
Please keep the rules in mind when posting your works! Here are a couple reminders:
Do not post anything related to a prompt that has not passed yet (ex. don’t submit day 3 things before day 3)
Tag your submissions as either ‘graylu fluff fest’ or ‘graylu fluff fest 2017′ and make sure it is one of the first five tags, or else we won’t see it!
Make sure all submissions are your own
If you are on a website other than tumblr and come across something for this year’s fluff fest, please notify us and the mods will contact the writer/artist/etc.
I'm awfully sorry to disturb. But this is my very first [ship]/ GrayLu week and I'm very confused. I know the prompts as I see them posted on your account. But, if you can, may you please tell when the week will start? And when the week starts we can submit our submissions right away? How about the bonus? Will that be an extra day or the same day as the last prompt? Again, I'm awfully sorry for the many questions - v -". But thank you very much
Hello! We’re really excited to have you participate this year!!
The week will run from February 7th-14th (the 14th is the bonus day). You can submit your works starting on the day of the corresponding theme (ex. you can post works related to day 1′s themes starting on day 1, works related to day 2′s themes starting on day 2, etc.). Feel free to submit after the day has passed as well. Just make sure you don’t submit or post it before the actual date!
I hope I didn’t make it more confusing, I don’t think I explained it nicely :( If you still have questions, feel free to send us asks! We’re here to make sure you have the best possible time during the fluff fest :)
The Fluff Fest has sadly come to an an end :( Thank you to this year’s participants, the work we’ve seen so far has been phenomenal!
Please remember that we are still accepting submissions for the fluff fest! Late work is always acceptable here, so just make sure you tag it properly and we’ll make sure we reblog it :) We know you guys haven’t had much time to prepare, so we completely understand if it takes a while for everyone to finish.
