Celestial Heart (A Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Chapter 9: Gray Skies

When I walked into the guild the next day, to be honest, I thought the first person to call out to me would be Cana. She'd been hinting since yesterday that she finally wanted to settle things between us. That meant a drinking content in which I would be preposterously outmatched. In short, I wasn't looking forward to it, and so I slunk in through the large doors, trying to look small and invisible.

Didn't work.

"Hey, Princess!"

That, however, wasn't Cana.

"My prince in shining icy armor!" I called back, playing along. Gray grinned as he let his waving hand drop to the table he was seated at. Seeing no one else who wanted my attention, I started walking towards him, but he was quick to get to his feet and nearly swept me off mine.

Not kidding. He swept me into a smooth embrace, supporting my back with his strong arms, letting me dip just the tiniet fraction. I was prepared to slap him, but he hissed, "Just play along! Flame Brain's watching!"

Sure enough, there was Natsu, watching us both through slitted eyes. He sat next to Lucy, who looked really weirded out by the whole thing, and Happy, who was happily munching on a fish and didn't seem like he gave a damn about what was going on.

Gray's hold on my waist tightened and he bent down to bring his lips close to my ear. To anyone else, it looked like he was whispering delicious sweet-nothings to his precious sweetheart. To me, it was something that made me want to gag with repressed laughter.

"Look, this is going to sound really stupid," he said softly. His warm breath tickled my ear. "But I need your help. Natsu and I got into a fight--"

"You're right," I whispered back, turning so that our noses brushed. "This does sound really stupid. But continue; I find your brand of stupidity oddly entertaining."

Another grin spread across his face, though he looked slightly insulted by my comment. "All morning, Natsu's been on some rant about how I can't get a girlfriend because I'm an icy pervert."

"Am I supposed to be disagreeing with him?"

"Shut up. That's not the point. I have to prove that idiot of a Flame Mage wrong, and for that I need your help. Go out with me."

"Straightforward and to the point. I like it. Let's do it."

He blinked. "....Wait. Just like that?"

I shrugged and took the perfect opportunity to snake my arms around his neck, closing whatever distance there had been between us. He was surprisingly warm for an Ice-Make Mage. "Why not?" I asked, my voice still whisper-soft. "It's just for show, right? To get some rise out of Natsu? It sounds like fun. Definitely something I'd be into. So count me in, Ice Princess."

His tense expression dissolved, replaced by a cocky smirk any other girl would fall in love with on the spot. "You know," he said, his voice just loud enough to be heard by anyone within ten feet of us, "for the next few hours, you're going to be my Ice Princess."

Damn, he was good.

I heard Lucy let out an incomprehensible gasp; something between a gurgle of surprise and a shout of indignation. A slightly out-of-place grin spread across my face. I've never been sure why, but her reaction seemed priceless to me. Not because she sounded jealous or for any reason like that; Luce and I had fought over boys before, and it was nothing like now. There was just... such a disbelief in the sound that I.... found it overly amusing.

And Natsu. He practically lit up the entire guild, he was so utterly shocked.

It made me giggle, to be honest.

I hated giggling. My voice went way too high and I always ended pressing a hand over my mouth to silence myself. And I would have done just that had Gray not turned to me (after giving Natsu the most satisfied smirk I have ever witnessed from another human being) and said, "Huh. You have a surprisingly cute laugh."

"Cute?" The question came out dubious.

Gray grinned, finally releasing me from the semi-awkward position I'd been held in for who knows how long. "Out of the two of us, who's the liar again?"

While I tried to hide the cheeky (embarrassed) grin that was flickering across my lips, I busied my hands with fixing my aviator goggles. Turns out Lucy had hidden them from me just after we got to Magnolia. She really disapproved of my fashion choices. But I found them, hidden under a pile of frilly girly clothing I never would have touched had the circumstances been any different.

Anyway, getting back on track.

"For that," I said, turning to leave the guild, "you my friend have just guaranteed I'll be the one to pay for the date."

"Oi! What's up with that?" Gray followed me outside, childishly demanding answers. "The guy's supposed to pay, right? No way am I--"

"Ehhhh, so what?" I asked, spinning on my heel so that we could chat face to face as we walked. Another closed-eye smile fought its way onto my face. I was really enjoying myself. How unexpected. "You're that old-fashioned? I don't know why you're so upset. After all, Lucy treated Natsu to lunch." Of course, I'm hiding the fact that I was there too, and that it was in no way a date, but a guy's pride needs to knocked around every once in a while, so it's fine.

"...Fine." And that defeated sigh Gray let out just then? That was the sound of his ego deflating.

My work here was done.

Well, not really, but that bit of my job was over anyway.

You might be wondering why I was actually going on the date. I mean, wouldn't it have been easier just to say I'd accepted the date while Natsu was watching and then just leave it at that? Probably. It just wasn't possible at the time. See, we had a slight problem.

"Mind giving me your hand?" I asked as casually as I could, looking at Gray from the corner of my eye. He cocked a brow at me. I let out a weary sigh and lifted a hand to point behind him. "Company," I explained in another sigh.

Gray looked back to see what I'd been indicating and an ungodly grimace marred his face. "That stupid Flame Brain..." he muttered.

I could clearly see Natsu, despite his attempts to hide himself. He was buried among some poor grocer's produce, only his slitted eyes peeking out over the tops of the tomatoes. Happy, ever-faithful, was with him, stashed away in a basket of blueberries just beside the tomatoes. He actually blended in a little.

Natsu stuck out a sore thumb on fire.

He was literally on fire.

Just thought I'd clear that up.

I held out my hand, and Gray didn't hesitate to take it, twining our fingers together. He tugged me towards him and spun me around, letting me walk side by side with him, making sure our hands never separated.

As I listened to Natsu's grumbling, I cocked my head to the side, studying Gray. He noticed pretty quickly and returned my stare with an inquiring one of his own. "Just wondering," I said, swinging our hands a bit, "just how many girls have you dated? You seem too at ease for this to be your first date."

"I could say the same to you," he shot back.

"Pretty sure I started the questions," I replied off-handedly. "Though I'm not denying past experience in the dating world. My sister and I aren't ugly, you know."

"I... I wasn't implying that."

"Just answer the question," I sighed.

"...No."

"No?"

"No, alright?" Gray scrubbed a hand through his thick, black hair, pushing it off his forehead. He seemed embarrassed, which was an unusual expression from him. I hadn't thought the icy mage would be subject to embarrassment (apart from when he's half- or fully naked in public). "I haven't dated anyone before. My life's... been pretty complicated up until now."

Complicated? That's... oddly vague. I wanted to know what he was talking about, I mean really wanted to understand, but the dark look in his eyes... stopped me cold. My hand instantly tightened around his. When he looked up at me, the smile had already slipped into place. "No worries, right?" I said. "It just makes this 'date' even more special. No way I'll mess up now!"

"Wait... what?"

"Don't worry about it!" I suddenly took the lead, dragging Gray after me. "I've got a place in mind where we can go, so leave it to me. I promise I'll make your debut into the wonderfully heartbreaking world of dating as awesome as possible!"

So, with Natsu still on our tail, I lugged Gray through Magnolia's streets, freely smiling and oddly excited for the fakest date I'd ever been on.







Loke's POV

I was feeling uneasy for some reason. All day, I'd been in pain. Nothing more than dull aches, but pain nonetheless. I was used to it. After all this time, how could I not be?

I wondered just how much time I had left.

As usual, when it turned out to be one of my worst days, I sought the comfort of attractive women.

Jeeze, Loke, this is pathetic, I thought to myself, internally sighing. And yet I was, again as per usual, enjoying myself.

How far am I going to have to sink...?

There was really only one person I could think of that would give me genuine comfort, though. But they also caused my inner turmoil to worsen, caused my heart to feel a pain I've been trying to suppress for all the years I've been a part of Fairy Tail. How could being near someone cause me so much joy and agony at the same time...?

"Loke! Are you alright?" The woman cuddling my left side pressed her face close to mine and I'm sure a perverted smile claimed my lips as she did so. Seeing it, the woman giggled and snuggled closer to me, causing the girl on my right to protest shrilly. As they had their little fight, I tipped my head back against the couch we were all seated on and let out a small unnoticable sigh.

This usually calmed my nevers, distracted me. But it wasn't nearly as effective today.

I heard the door open, the little bell above it chiming like a bird's call, and two people crashed inside, both red-faced from, apparently, having run all the way here.

"You're insane." My eyes widened. I knew that voice.

"Most everyone says so." My head snapped up. That voice...

"You couldn't be more different from your sister." The familiar Ice-Make Mage sighed, reaching up a hand to press against his forehead. The girl beside him laughed and snaked an arm around his waist.

"That was a compliment to my ears, Fullbuster," she smiled. She adjusted the aviator goggles on her forehead, head cocking to the side in amusement. "So you do know the basic rules of a date. Number One: Always start off by complimenting your precious."

Date?

Gray cocked a brow. "Precious?" he echoed, smirking just a bit. "Would you like that nickname instead of Princess?"

"Nah, I like being royalty." Winter gave him a closed eye smile and led him over to an unused table sidled alongside the long window-wall of the cafe. As he sat down, she cocked her head to the side, then snuck a look over her shoulder. Our gazes locked for a mere moment before she dissolved into a smile that could only have been fake. Winter leaned in and whispered something to Gray, who in turn peeked around her to catch sight of me.

I waved mutely.

He lifted a hand in response.

Winter said something, too soft for me to hear, and he nodded, relaxing into the booth, arms folded across his chest. His eyes turned to look out the window and he smirked, a much more obvious gesture than the one he gave Winter. Seeing it also, she looked around, trying to spot what made him laugh. When she did, she giggled and shook her head. I just managed to catch her saying, "-su's persistent, I'll give him that! Keep an eye on him, Gray, and tell me if Lucy shows up!"

Just what was going on here?

I was given little time to react when Winter suddenly broke away from Gray and appeared in front of me. Her disarmingly charming smile was firmly in place as she caught my eye, but it soon lost its sincerity.

"-ke. Loke! Loke!"

"Huh?" I'd forgotten about the other girls completely and now I fought to remedy the situation. "I'm sorry, girls, I lost myself for a minute. You girls are fantastic!"

"Same old Loke." Winter's voice was sharp, forcing me to meet her eyes. I wished I could break away. Never had I seen such a war of emotions reflected in someone's eyes before... except when I looked in the mirror. "I really hope you're having fun. Sorry if me and Gray are bothering you. I forgot you were the one who told me about this place..." She looked so lost. Her words were truthful, even I could tell that, but she wished they weren't.

"Winter--"

"Ugh, why are you always hanging around our Loke?"

Winter's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" Mona, the girl on my left, shot back. The venom in her voice was palpable but it was nothing compared to the contempt in Winter's dark eyes.

Winter, however, ignored her, and offered me a final smile. "Again, I'm sorry Loke, we'll try to keep it down." And with that, she spun on her heel and walked back towards Gray, her jacket trailing after her.

"Hey! She's just ignoring me like that?! What a bitch!" Mona complained.

I didn't respond. Not in words anyway. I abruptly released my hold on the girls' waists and stood, much to their protest. As I walked away, moving for the entrance, I ran a hand through my hair, sighing softly.

Not much longer. I wouldn't have to endure this pain for that much longer.









Winter's POV

I didn't watch Loke leave. I couldn't. I was too preoccupied with the nasty death glares I was getting from his love-struck fangirls.

"Aw, man," I moaned, sliding down in my seat until only my nose and above peeked out over the tabletop. "This is getting ridiculous... Those girls are going to kill me someday, I swear."

"Those twigs?" Gray jerked his chin in their direction, nodding when I confirmed he was right. "Loke's girls, right?"

"Some of them, anyway," I agreed moodily.

"Are you honestly worried about them?" he asked. "I wouldn't mind helping you take care of them..."

"What a sweet offer, Gray. It's every girl's dream to help her boyfriend kill her mortal enemies."

"So, you get sarcastic when you're upset?"

"Observant, Glacier Boy."

He chuckled, stretching his arm across the top of the seat to rest it behind my head. "It's funny," he said, staring up at the ceiling. "If anyone else called me those ridiculous nicknames, I'd cover them head to toe in ice."

"I wonder why..." I straightened in my seat, tapping my chin in thought. "You don't have a real crush on me, do you?"

"No."

I sweat dropped. "That was extremely blunt, Ice Princess."

"Sorry, but I'm not indecisive about it. You're not my type." He gave me a sidelong glance, eyes narrowed in what might have been a mixture of concern and curiosity. "And if I had to guess, I'm not your type either."

I shrugged noncommittally. I couldn't tell him he was wrong (because he was right on the money) but I didn't want to admit he was right, either. It felt odd to be talking so openly about stuff like this without someone like Lucy, and maybe my nearly-nonexistent nerves were getting the better of me.

We settled into a comfortable silence after that. A waitress came, shamelessly flirted with a Gray, took our orders, and returned to the kitchen. Then a waiter came, gave us our orders, shamelessly flirted with me, has Gray threaten to do unspeakable things to him, and left. We ate lunch without speaking but there wasn't any animosity between us.

When the time came to leave, I, as promised, took care of the bill and then Gray and I returned to Magnolia's streets to breathe in the fresh air, tinged with the crisp scent of evening.

I never saw what happened to Loke's fangirls.

And of course, Natsu was still watching us. He didn't look completely convinced that Gray and I were on a real date, if his slanted eyes and fiery hair were anything to go by. Happy has fallen asleep on his shoulder, probably bored with the day's lack of action.

But I had to admit, taking a breather from the stress of the guild for one day was good for me. My head had cleared a little. And Gray was good company.

Speaking of...

"You know there's only one thing that'll make him stop hounding you," I told Gray as we were walking home. Well, he was walking me home, like a proper gentleman.

"Yeah, I figured that out," Gray sighed.

"So, would you be angry if I stole your first kiss?"

He suddenly smirked, an expression so out of place and oddly appealing that I couldn't help but grin back at him.

"Just because I've never been on a real date," he said, flashing me a smile, "doesn't mean I've never kissed anyone."

Ah. Gentleman my ass, then.

"Oh Fullbuster, you never cease to amaze me." I shook my head in amusement. "Alrighty then. But just so you know, this is a friendly kiss, got it?"

"Sure, sure." He waved his hand dismissively. "You know," he added, another smirk tugging at a corner of his mouth, "if you can resist my charms."

I sighed, a little exasperated but still wholly amused, and caught a fistful of his jacket in my hand, tugging him close enough that our noses brushed. "Whatever it is you need to sleep at night, Fullbuster."

He was still smirking as I pressed my lips to his.

It was warm. That's what surprised me. Everything about Gray was warm.
Just not his personality, I guess. But the kiss, it was beautifully warm. I smiled against his lips. What a weird guy.

He was the one to pull away, and I realized it was because he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer. I cracked up too, when I saw Natsu, passed out in the middle of the road, the shattered remains of a potted plant scattered around him. It want hard to guess he'd been hiding in some fern or another and was so shocked by the kiss that he completely knocked himself out.

I felt proud of our accomplishment.

"I don't think he'll be giving you anymore grief," I said cheekily, tossing a peace sign carelessly over my shoulder as I turned away. I wasn't worried; Lucy or someone would go looking for him eventually. Or he'd wake up and go on a hunt for food, completely forgetting about what he saw.

"Thanks for the help, Ice Princess."

"Not a problem, my lovely Ice Prince. Now c'mon, my house isn't far from here." I waved a hand, inviting Gray to follow, and he did so without complaint.

As we walked though, I found myself thinking about the lost look Loke had given me back at the cafe. He looked like he held so many secrets from the world...

I hope he's alright.



~~~~~~~

Sorry if Gray was OOC! and sorry there was no action! This was just a filler chapter, but I hope you liked it anyway!

I felt bad for Loke writing this...