A/N: Part two of my dearest Ettee's gift. I love you darling!

Full of fluff and awkward moments.

Poor Gray. Mirajane is so complicated sometimes.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Gray asked, catching the white haired mage by surprise as she stepped out of the guild hall. He tossed his cigarette to the side as he pushed off the wall.

"You started smoking again?" Mira asked, her voice teeming with disapproval.

"I never stopped." He admitted, taking a step in her direction. "I just don't do it all that often, just when I have something on my mind."

"What's on your mind Gray?" Mira asked, deciding not to push the subject of his nasty habit any further for the time being.

"Come on a walk with me and I'll tell you about it." He urged, watching her closely for a reaction. "You're off work now, right?"

"Yes. Alright, let's go." She said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

The pair walked down the sidewalk, close enough their elbows brushed. The snow underneath their feet crunched with every step. Mira broke the silence between them. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I'm trying to figure the best way to say it actually." He admitted, feeling her deep blue eyes on him. How could he tell her what he so desperately wanted when he didn't know if she felt the same?

"Take all the time you need then." She replied, disappointment leaking into her voice.

"The lake has frozen over." The ice mage said, changing the subject.

"Come on." Mirajane said, grabbing the ice mage by the hand, dragging him towards it. f

"The ice isn't thick enough, we'll fall through." Gray replied, giving her a skeptical look.

"You can make it thicker. Come on Gray, you said you would teach me how to ice skate." She said, pouting as she stared into his deep blue eyes.

"Alright." He said, giving her hand a tight squeeze before releasing it. He stepped in front of her, their bodies just a foot apart. "Hold onto my shoulders while I make you some skates."

"Okay." She said, grabbing his shoulders. Somewhere along the way he had lost his shirt, leaving his shoulders bare.

A small flash of blue light formed around the ice mage's hands as a pair of blades formed on the soles of both of their shoes, giving them each an additional inch and a half in height. Another short blast of blue light followed, wrapping swirls of ice around the tops of Mira's shoes to help keep her steady.

"Oh wow, they're beautiful Gray." She said, twisting her leg to get a better look at the beautiful pattern. It glittered as she shifted, flashing light onto the snow.

"Now for the lake." Gray mumbled, pressing his hand to its frozen surface. The ice slowly thickened across the lake, the ice mage concentrating hard to keep any fish from getting caught. He pulled away, a look of satisfaction playing across his face. "That should do it. Are you ready?"

She nodded, tentatively taking a step forward on her skates. "It's not so bad."

"We're not on the ice yet." Gray teased, grabbing her hand. "I'll hold you steady, don't worry."

"I'm going to fall on my butt." She announced, just three feet from the edge of the lake, her grip on the ice mage's hand tightening.

A laugh ripped from his chest. "No you're not. You're doing great and we've barely started." He slid around to face her with ease, the amused look still plastered on his face. He took her other hand and pulled her forward. "I won't let you fall."

"You skating backwards isn't doing wonders for my self confidence." She admitted, although she felt herself moving much easier with his reassurance.

"You have to remember, I grew up in the north. It was always cold like this so there was plenty of ice. We won't even talk about the fact that I'm an ice mage." He said, pulling her in a small circle.

"I guess you're right." She decided, looking down at the tracks their blades were leaving behind. "That makes you an even better teacher."

"I don't know about that, but I'm trying."

"Speed up." She ordered playfully, looking into his deep blue eyes that all but matched her own. "Let's see how fast you can go."

"You sure you wanna do that?" The ice mage replied, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Not that you're not doing well."

"I'm sure." She replied eagerly.

Gray instantly increased his pace, gripping her hands tighter in his own. He smiled at the image before him as Mira's hair whipped around behind her, fluttering in the breeze they were creating. She was beautiful.

"Gray." Mira said, her voice an octave higher than usual.

"What?"

"Gray stop!"

"Wha- Ah!" The ice mage fell backwards as he hit the edge of the lake, thrown off balance by the sudden appearance of thick white powder. He took Mira down with him, her body landing on top of him, pinning him to the snow.

She giggled as she pushed herself up, her white hair cascading down over the pair. "I tried to warn you."

"Sorry." Gray said sheepishly. "I was a bit distracted."

"By what?" Mira asked, her voice so full of innocence the ice mage could barely stand it.

"By you." He admitted, propping himself up on his elbows. Gray leaned up to meet her, their lips so close he could almost taste them.

"Mira?" A deep voice called from several yards away.

"Elfman!" Mira said, rolling to the side so that she was beside Gray. "What are you doing here?"

Gray willed himself to melt into the snow. Anything would be better than the situation he found himself in. He could be a damn bird if it meant that that didn't just happen.

"I was just going to tell you I'm going out to dinner with Ever and Lisanna is taking a mission with Bixlow so we won't be home tonight." He said, an embarrassed smile forming on his face at the realization of what he had just walked in on.

"Okay." Mira called after him, giggling once he had past.

"Well, I think skating lessons are over for today." Gray managed, letting himself to collapse back into the snow.

"I think you're right." She laughed, sitting up. "Let's find your shirt. Come back to my house and I'll make you dinner, okay?"

"Sounds great." Gray mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. For all times of Elfman to find them, that had to be the worst.

The Strauss home was small with just enough space for the three siblings to live comfortably. As Gray entered, his eyes were immediately drawn to the large Christmas tree sitting in the corner of the room. It's branches were adorned with assorted colored baubles that reflected light onto the floor. Every doorway was strung with a garland of green, little red berries hanging in their centers. If nothing else, it was obvious that the Strauss siblings loved Christmas.

"You can sit down if you'd like." Mira said softly, motioning to the red couch beside the tree.

"I'd rather be in the kitchen so I can watch you cook." He admitted, watching the way her hips shifted side to side as she walked through the room.

"I'm actually going to go change out of my work clothes. I'll be right back. Make yourself comfortable, okay?"

"I'll be here." He replied, taking a seat next to the tree. The ice mage studied the picture framed hanging on the opposite wall. There was one of the siblings from when they were younger, probably from when they had just come to the guild. A smile crossed his face at the sight of a much younger Mira, fully dressed in her punkish clothes. He'd had no idea then that Erza would end up the scarier one of the rivals.

So much had changed since then. Mirajane had lost her sister and gained her back. The guild had grown so much stronger as a whole. Everyone was closer. Things were mostly good. His eyes scanned over a more recent picture. Mira was wearing her black dress, beautiful as ever. He couldn't help but stare.

"Are you okay?" Mira asked, a half smile forming on her lips. She had changed into a yellow sweater and jeans that hugged her curves perfectly. It wasn't often Gray got to see her in something unfrilly. Somehow it made her even more gorgeous. "You look lost in thought."

"Just looking at the pictures." He said, breaking his gaze and nodding towards the wall. "It's quite a collection you've got."

"I actually have about ten photo albums full." She said, sliding onto the couch. "I'm a bit of a memory collector. We lost everything from before we joined Fairy Tail. Lisanna barely remembers anything, and my memories of our parents are foggy at best. I don't want to forget anything else."

"I can't blame you." Gray sighed, thinking of his own past. "I have a hard time remembering my mom's face sometimes, but I can still remember her voice clearly. She always used to sing to me. Most of what I remember her singing is Christmas carols actually. She went all out at Christmas." He looked at the Christmas tree fondly. "Our house always looked a lot like this in the winter."

"My mom, both my parents really, always made Christmas really special for us." Mira said, inching closer to the ice mage on the couch. "I've tried to continue the tradition for Elfman and Lisanna. I'm sure they think it's a bit over the top sometimes but-"

"I think it's really nice." Gray interjected. He placed his hand over hers and gave it a tight squeeze. "It reminds me of home."

Mira looked down at the hand on top of her own, twisting her wrist so that their palms were facing. "What are we doing Gray?"

"I- uh-," He stammered over his words, suddenly wondering if he had misplaced his feelings. "Do you want me to go?"

"No." She said firmly, looking into his midnight eyes that near matched her own.

"Can I-" His words were cut off by her lips pressed against his. He froze with surprise, wondering how things had taken such an abrupt turn, not that he would complain. The kiss was soft and gentle, the way a first kiss should be, ending much too soon.

She pulled back and looked at him. "Is this what we're doing?"

"If you, uh, want to?" He asked, feeling just a bit of heat rising to his cheeks. Mirajane was the only one who knew how to get him flustered in such a way.

Mira pushed him into the arm of the couch, her lips meeting his with a sense of urgency. Her lips were soft and sweet with a hint of honey. He ran his hands up her back, holding her tight through the silky fabric of her sweater. A soft groan escaped him as she pressed herself against him and gently bit his bottom lip.

Mira pulled away, an amused smirk on her swollen lips. "Don't get too carried away, it's only our first date." She winked.

"Our first date huh?" He asked. "Shouldn't I be the one taking you out to dinner, instead of you cooking for me?"

"You took me ice skating, that was good enough." She said, righting herself on the couch. "You can take me out for dinner on our second date."

"That's promising." He decided, wondering how he'd gotten so lucky.

She stood up, pulling her sweater down where it had climbed up her back. "Come on, I'll show you how to make risotto."

"I know how to cook." The ice mage said defensively.

"Not like I do." She said playfully grabbing his hand. "It will be fun."

"I think you and I may have different ideas of fun."