Worth the Wait

X791, Magnolia

X791, Magnolia

Loke ran through the streets of Magnolia. He panted as he searched desperately. He could probably wait for Gray at his old home, but there was no certainty that Gray still lived there, or where he might be. Then he saw the ice mage up on a roof with a rather good looking white-haired man. Loke glared in jealousy, except Gray looked shocked and disturbed. Loke leaped up onto the rooftop and knelt beside the two.

"Loke!" Gray said in surprise.

"Plue told me Lucy was back, which means you are too." He glared again at the other man. "Who's this?"

"My old senpai, Lyon. He was telling me some news... some rather surprising news," Gray said darkly, his brow tightening. He quickly tried to banish the troublesome report his fellow Ice Make mage had given to him. "Lyon, I'll talk to you more about this later."

Lyon shrugged, scooping up the shirt he had unconsciously discarded. "It's really all I had to say. Take that information however you like. Tell Erza Scarlet if you want. She'll probably want to know. Well, I'm off to find that blue-haired beauty." He jumped off the roof and headed back toward Fairy Tail's guild hall.

"Blue hair? Levy?" Loke asked in confusion.

"Juvia," Gray moaned. He knew Lyon was not the most logical man, but Gray had at least thought he had decent tastes in women.

"That rain-woman who's always all over you? She can have him!" Then, without warning, Loke lurched forward and gave Gray a kiss.

He panicked a little, being out in public like this, and struggled to get away. "You can't just kiss me like that!" Gray yelled, and his voice threatened to crack at the tension.

"Gray," Loke said seriously, "it's been seven agonizing years, searching every realm and dimension I could gain access to. Do you really think I can wait until we're in private to kiss you?"

"Well, be a little more mindful," Gray grumbled. "I don't want the guild to know yet."

"Ah, I see." Loke knew not to feel disappointed that Gray wanted to hide the truth, it was common in relationships like this, but it still hurt a little. He looked at Gray, wondering if maybe he had decided he did not like their relationship anymore. Instead, he saw confusion and a troubled expression. "What's wrong?"

"What isn't wrong?" Gray sighed. "I just lost seven years of my life, except... except I haven't grown at all. Everyone around me is older, stronger."

"I'm not. Well, maybe a little stronger, but I didn't age at all."

Gray had to smile. "That's true. Seeing Lyon... I mean, he was always my senpai, but now he's so much older than me. And Bisca and Alzack, they're married with a kid. Macao went all old and gray. But you..." He smiled up to Loke. "Being around you, I can almost imagine that nothing happened."

Loke sat beside Gray so that their legs were touching. "Then maybe we need to hang out more. Do you remember what I told you after the first stage of the trial?"

Gray gulped hard. "That you wanted to claim me?"

Loke nodded, and his fingers brushed against Gray's arm. "I meant it. I haven't been with anyone. I've been waiting seven years for the promise we made."

Gray blushed brightly as he locked his fingers around Loke's hand. "That when we'd get back to Magnolia, we'd... we'd..." He did not dare say the rest out loud in public. Still, to wait seven years for that! It made Gray feel warm inside to realize that, for how much of a playboy he had been before, Loke could be intensely loyal when he wanted to be.