A Fairy Tail Fanfic

Disclaimer: I own this story.

ONE-SHOT

There was a certain cockiness Gray had when it was winter. Mira said it was because he was at his prime in this season ... And when Lucy looked at him, she could definitely see it. The strutting, the prancing around ... it was a little annoying, but the blonde found it endearing none the less. Plus, it was a pleasant change from Natsu's fiery antics.

But Lucy wasn't going to complain too much about them now, not when she now enjoyed Natsu's company when he sneaked into her home. Lucy had finally come to terms that she had feelings for the guy. He wasn't as oblivious as everyone thought he was ... and maybe Lucy would confess her feelings to him, except, she didn't know if he returned them. Lucy found that she craved his presence more, trying to find excuses to be near him. And anyone that had eyes and a few workable brain cells could tell she was becoming desperate.

If anyone looked outside the guild now, they would see she was willingly standing in the cold - it was snowing - in some of her thinnest clothing. Her attire earned her bizarre looks from passers, she didn't blame them.

Lucy knew it was a stupid thing. She wasn't going to deny that. It just gave her another reason to cuddle the pinkette.

When Lucy entered the guild, she greeted and replied to people as she went. Dodging a frozen table hurtling across the room she made her way to the back of the guild.

The busty mage sat carefully at the table as Natsu and Happy sat across from each other, carefully stacking card houses. When Happy misplaced a cared and the whole thing fell down, Happy threw two jewels on the table before leaving to go find Carla.

"Lucy, bright an early at the guild as usual. Are you alright? You look cold again, I keep on telling you too buy warmer clothes ... and I warn you now, if you don't, I'll force you to where mine. And you know I forget to wash them."

"Eww." Lucy grinned. "I need to go on another mission soon, want to come with me?" She knew his answer, but she wanted to ask first, instead of taking it for granted.

Natsu accommodatingly pulled her against his body, trying to give her as much warmth as possible.

"Sure, but didn't we go on a mission two weeks ago?" It was true. Team Natsu had gone a mission but it wasn't enough for food. But the blonde didn't want to bother them so soon. One Fairy Tail dorm was the equivalent of three months rent to Luce. With Wendy with one dorm, and Erza with five ... Lucy had been discretely been munching on cheap noddles to get past, not having enough money to buy anything proper.

But she kept that news from her team mates. She didn't want to busy themselves for her own expenses. She held it secret.

"Yeah, but I like to stay ahead. You know that. You don't have too Natsu, it might actually be better if I take Gray because of the weather and all, he is at his prime in this season -"

"I'm always at my prime -"

"Plus, that guy needs to be reminded what female, non-stalking company is ..." Lucy trailed off, looking for the ice mage around the guild.

She could feel Natsu stiffen beside her.

"Hey, now. Let's not be rash I can go with you –"

"Yeah I think I will go with Gray, be good with to spend one-on-one time with him."

"What about one-on-one time with me? I'm good company and I don't stalk you!"

Awing at him, "But Natsu, you're always sneaking into my apartment. That balances out with stalking."

She heard someone spattering into their drink in laughter, overhearing the conversation. Standing up casually, she looked in Gray's direction.

"But, Luce!" He whined, voice childish. Lucy turned to look at him; his eyes held a more intense look in them. "Don't go with Gray. I'll go with you"

"See you later Natsu!" Spinning around hand in the air waving good bye to him, Lucy trotted away. Anyone who was in front of her looking would have seen her contrived smile.

Mira watched as she walked past, a small smile on her face.

Well played Lucy, well played.

Gray turned to the light tapping on his shoulder, and saw Lucy smiling warmly at him. She was always a good sight. Lucy never had bad news. So that meant Lucy was always good news.

And he was right.

And did he mention his favourite sight about her? No?

She wasn't Juvia.

"Hey Luce," grinning at her "Glad you're at the guild today, it's always boring without you. What's up?"

"Gray, you always know how to make a women's day."

"Well baby, I'm always here." The rooms temperature seemed to spike up a little, and he wasn't sure if someone had finally fixed the furnace or if this was just how Lucy was making him feel.

"Well, since you asked, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a mission with me. Just us." Her brown eyes looked up at him, with the smallest flicks of gold around the inner iris.

Stay cool, act completely cool. The room seemed to get hotter, but not too noticeably. But Gray did. Looking over the blonde mage's head, his eyes connected with Natsu's, which were giving him an intense stare.

Dots connected in his head. Looking at Lucy, then back to Natsu's, and then back to Lucy again, a sly smile formed on Gray's face. And for a brief moment, something flickered in her eyes, an understanding that Gray had caught onto something.

"Take a seat with me, I want to have a little chat" Sneaking his hand around so it rested on the small of her back, he pulled her close to him. Lucy was warm against his body, one of the little warmth's he liked to feel on his skin.

The room got hotter.

Feeling eyes on his back burning holes in his skin, he turned his head in Natsu direction and gave a smirk. All this was noticed by a certain barmaid.

Sitting in the corner of the guild, furthest away from Natsu but not necessarily private from him –or anyone else – he made an ice wall to shroud around them.

The celestial mage watched with fascination as it rose around them, above their head and met with the wall. It was the closest thing she could imagine to being in an ice eggshell. Gray watched her, and the littlest puffs of white air that left her lips.

He wanted to pull her close and kiss her. But he couldn't because of him.

There was a certain arrangement in the guild - against all males in the guild, really – that put Lucy off limits. This was the only reason why he hadn't made his move on this beauty sooner.

"What's with the egg?" Only Lucy could call one of his creations an egg and not make him feel mad.

"Ah … I thought we would need this conversation private. From listening ears." Catching the hint she blushed lightly, or maybe it was just the cold. "Is there something you want to say, or need me to do?" Gray said.

"I don't follow."

"Well, how long has it been since you have known Natsu? A year? Year and a half? And we all know you have a thing for him, it's only natural that you two would end up together. " he started, ;looking at Lucy … "After all, Natsu was the one that brought you to the guild; of your dreams. So I'm sure there's some bestowed feelings you have for him.

"That's true. I have feelings for him, not going to lie and stutter over it. But, he hasn't shown any romantic interest in me. It maybe unrequited."

"Yeah, he may already know. I don't know if he does ... but the rest of us, have noticed you doing the little things."

"Little things?" She frowned.

"The little things. The 'keep me warm I'm cold'. 'Let's go on a mission I need rent money', and lets on forget 'I start snuggling Natsu back when he creeps in my bed at night'."

"I don't know about that last one. Plus, I'm in a lack of food and warm clothes - I need money so I don't die this winter ... so yeah, maybe I snuggle into Natsu. He's warm, too."

"And your crush," Gray said.

"So what?"

There was a pause.

"So, what does this mean?" Waving her hands around the eggshell "Why tell me that you know that I have feelings for someone? Since apparently everyone knows I like him, why not just stay out of it? Unless, you could get something out of this."

A home Lucy was 'lucky Lucy'. When she came here, she was "Lucy of Fairy Tail', and to those who knew her she was 'Cleaver Lucy'.

Lucy leaned back in her own chair and mirrored Gray's manner.

Gray leaned forward into the table and Lucy copied, "I think I just have the right plan in mind for your little problem."

"Do tell"

Hand in hand they ambled out of the guild, while a certain pyromaniac sat stone faced staring after them.

Mira watched the scene from a different view, observing the scene. Something was up. And if the ice wall around them hadn't caught attention in the already freezing guild –she didn't know what will. But Lucy had caught Natsu's attention, and then Gray came into the mix … there was some definite scheming involved. But the mage was more interested to see how things would turn out rather than get involved. By just watching Gray and Lucy walk out together hand in hand, she knew that this was all false pretense.

Are they together? No. But they did look cute together –and she wouldn't have a problem with them together – but she just thought that Lucy and Natsu was a more compatible pair.

But only time will tell what is really going on.

"Where are we going?" The puffs of cold air around Lucy's lips were thicker from the colder atmosphere outside. But Gray was completely unaffected by this – still walking shirtless – and was walking leisurely.

"Getting you proper food."

"And what are we going to do?" There was more to it, Lucy knew.

"Have a date. I'll pay for the food and we'll have a good time. Like the plan?" Gray looked at Lucy. Her expression was neutral. "Look at this way, Natsu will follow us and we'll pretend not to notice him. And we'll find a nice little café and have some hot chocolate or something – it will drive him nuts." The plan was simple but the mage couldn't understand how such a small and sweet gesture –even though it was all fake –could make Natsu jealous.

"Do you really think this will drive him nuts?"

"I'm insulted that you think otherwise."

The café was cute and small. Made out of wood and the snow clung to the windows. Taking a booth seat near the front window in easy sight, the two sat opposite each other, the waitress took their order and Gray payed. It was actually kinda cute, Lucy didn't even mind that he was shirtless at all.

"Well, you ready for this?" He looked up at her, he was smiling but there was some uneasiness in them.

"How bad could this go?"

"Really … really bad." All of a sudden Gray seemed tense. "But in the order of a good old fashioned date, we should treat it as one"

"Hmm, but I have some questions about this." Lucy spoke, "How do we know that he will follow us?"

Quirking a smile "He already has. Don't look, but I can see him coming down the street now your side. He's doing the whole sniffer dog thing; nose in air." He chuckled. The smile turning to a frown. "And he's not alone … oh, god. This is really bad … he wasn't kidding!" Gray began to lower in his seat so the table was in line with his shoulders.

The curiosity poked at her telling her to look out the window and see what is going on, what could be so bad? Who could he have brought with him? Why was Gray trying to hide? Leaning over the table she yanked him up so he was back in his seat.

"Gray! What's happening right now?"

"Well I should probably fill you in … When you first came to the guild there was a bit of tenseness among us men. And short story shorter, Natsu called –"

"Dibs!" He roared on the other side of the window. Finger pointed at Gray accusingly. "Betrayal of the highest order!"

Behind him stood, Elfman, Max, Jet, Droy, Gajeel and Laxus (When Gajeel joined the guild he was forced to abide the scared law of Dibs).

"Ignorer of the sacred man code, Gray Fullbuster!" Elfman boomed. Storming into the café they stood in front of Lucy and Gray's table.

"Defiler of the scared nature of the order of Dibs!" That was Max who looked absolutely gleeful.

Natsu glowered at Gray who seemed to have picked his balls back up and glared back.

Natsu's jaw was clenched; he was practically seething. While Max continued to spew theatrics while Jet and Droy apologized to the manager for the scene's growing volume. And Laxus and Gajeel looked positively in delight of what was about to happen.

"IhadanicetimeLucy" Gray rushed before being pulled out of the booth by Gajeel and Laxus and dragged out of the store before any more damage could be done. Natsu looked down at Lucy who was silent through the whole scene. Max hadn't shut up with his theatrics.

"Ahhh, hey, Natsu?" Lucy started before Natsu grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the booth. "Kyya!" Dragging her out of the café he chucked her over his shoulder.

Leaving the Café Lucy saw Gray being dragged down the opposite end of the street by Gajeel and Laxus.

Lucy gave him the thumps up and Gray gave back a sad smile.

Author's note.

This one-shot has been dedicated to 'LeeSup' for returning to Fanfiction and to her story 'The Princess and the Pirate' which is marvellous story with humour, plotness, and grammar correctness light years beyond my own. This is to you, and I hope that one day I get to see your review in here. Since it's the only one I am looking for. XD