Gray X Reader

Chapter 1. The Golden Cloak

Greetings everyone, this is a quick authors note. Prior to reading this story, please keep in mind that this story is set before the 7 year time skip. Also I do not own any of the characters used in this story, nor do I own the domain it takes place in. I only have rights to the story itself. Please support the original creator of Fairy Tail. 

Important abbreviations:

(f/n) means first name
(e/c) means eye colour
(h/c) means hair colour
(h/l) means hair length

POV stands for point of view

I hope you enjoy!~

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Gray's POV

My footsteps crunch beneath me as I jog further into the snow-clad forest.

Why did Natsu have to be so damn destructive? Couldn't he take a little joke like a normal person, not throw a tantrum AND not blow up half the guild hall?

It was the third time this month that we'd had gotten into a fight over nothing and destroyed some part of the guild. Makarov was fed up and banned us both from the guild hall for a week. This way they could at least finish repairs before we destroyed it again.

It is so frustrating, even though it is always Natsu who destroying everything, I also get punished.

The bastard!-

In my wrath I lose awareness of my surroundings and don't notice the snow coated pine branch that has appeared in my path. I walk right into it. "Damn it!" I yell stumbling backwards. I reach up to my forehead to assess the damage and feel a small trail of blood begins to trickle.

Well, this is just great! 

I let out a frustrated grunt and create a mock bandage of ice to carefully wrap around my fresh wound. I abruptly sit down on a near by log, discouraged by the prior events.

This should to be far enough. I highly doubt that the flame brain will come out here in this weather.

I place my hands on the log behind me and lean into them so I can take in my surroundings. No familiar trees or landmarks in sight. Perfect. The snow has covered the trees and hides the undergrowth making the forest seem like a never ending maze of white.

All the tree branches are glazed with white powder. Icicles hang here and there occasionally catch the suns light. The sight itself is breath taking, the forest is a sparkling beauty of white and... gold?

A golden blur catches my eye. After focusing in on it, I conclude it's a long piece of fabric hung off of a wandering tree branch. It peaks my interest  and I march over to the tree from which it is hung. To my surprise the fabric is nothing more than a cloak.

I wonder what this is doing here?

I am careful not to snag it as I remove it from the branch and hold it up to inspect it's golden glory.

Judging by the size and the style I'm guessing it belongs to a girl, but what would a girl be doing way out here in this weather? Even more so without her cloak.

Again, I scan around me, searching for any sign of the owner but find nothing. I pull myself onto the tree branch from which I took the cloak and then continue to climb up further to get a better vantage point.

"She left tracks!" I holler, proud of myself for being able locate the discreet disturbance in the blinding snow.

At least, I think those are tracks..?

I swing down out of the tree and proceed to follow my newly discovered trail further into the snowy pines and a mount of rocks forms at the edge of my vision. Suddenly keen, I hurry over to search for the suspected owner of the cloak.

Out of no where the trail of crushed snow ends and I find myself face to face with a one of the large boulders.

Well, there's no where to go but up!

Scaling around the edge of the cold stone, I search for a suitable place to climb and find one just out of reach. Sighing I dig my heals into the snow and take a running start at the boulder. My hand only just reaching the nook I was targeting and with a grunt I begin to climb. The higher I climb the more my mind wonders...

Why would a girl be out in this weather? Isn't it a little cold for the average person? Also, how could she be so clumsy to lose her cloak? Did she climb these rocks to look for it? No, she'd have to be more of an airhead then the flame brain to do that! It that doesn't make sense, it was in plan sight... She would have found it by now... but those tracks weren't that fresh. Oh god..! Did she slip off the rocks?! She might be hurt... or worse!

"She must be crazy..!" I mutter to my panicked self as I pull myself up over the final ledge and roll onto my side.

thud!

I just rolled into something AGAIN!

Thoroughly irritated, I turn to face whatever I bumped into, fully planning on bashing it. With my icy fists raised and ready to pierce. I am barely able to stop myself from smashing the helpless girl that lay in front of me asleep.

Whoa!.... not what I was expecting bu- Wait! This must be the girl who lost her cloak! She's about the right size.

I lower my fists and inch closer to her. Up close, I notice through her (h/l) (h/c) hair that her (s/c) face is flushed from the cold.

She's so cold... wait is she even alive?! She didn't wake up when I bumped into her!

I frantically lean over and check her pulse. Thankfully it's still beating evenly.

But how? She's so cold. I think as I am unaware that I am now holding her hand and subconsciously rubbing my thumb across it in circular motions.

She's not even wearing winter clothes! Just (a) quite short (skirt/shorts) and a loose cropped T-shirt. What the hell was she thinking?! No wonder she collapsed!

Cautiously, I slip my muscular (😉😉) arms under her knees and shoulders, gently pulling her petite figure onto my lap.

She's freezing..!

Still, I am careful not to disturb her. I gently wrap the cloak around her shivering frame.

This won't do! She's still not warm enough!

At that one moment....
For a split second....
I wished I was Natsu....

"No! I can do this!" I assure myself dropping that outrageous thought out of my head. Then doing the only thing I can do at the moment; I rub her ice cold shoulders. Time passes and her soft face still shows no sign of waking up.

I wonder why she was out here? Why she'd be so carelessly dressed? ...and most of all, why she wasn't dead yet? A normal person would have been frozen by now! I bet even Natsu would be feeling the chills! Yet her heart is still beating strong.

"Please wake up.." I again subconsciously say out-loud. Out of instinct, I squeeze her arm willing her eyes to open. As if by magic, she sighs softly and the most beautiful pair of (e/c) eyes stare up at me.