#i don't know where i got the Hunch that he was /also/ a celestial being who turned himself into a human

[avian-hearts]

I'M SUCH A SUCKER FOR THIS TROPE AND THIS MADE ME CRY 3 DIFFERENT TIMES

[elianaroselight]

This will be a long post, as a heads up.

@winterpower98 Since you said you were interested in hearing this. 😁 Also, a fair bit of this is geared towards the Cursed AU and the Flower Fruit Kings/Shadowpeach Family in particular.

This train of thought got started with a song called 'Bridge of Light'. The original is by Pink and was in the movie 'Happy Feet Two', but the version I was listening to was a vocal rendition by a theater group. The song is about even when you lose everything, as long as you have love, you have light which will be your bridge in tough times. Beautiful song. Highly recommend listening to it.

Also, I think about the symbolism surrounding the Sun and the Moon a lot due to a story I am creating and as such, my brain asked the question: "What is a Bridge of Light? Can it be connected to symbolism surrounding the cosmos?" And the answer hit me over the back of my head. Then I decided to see if this Bridge of Light could be applied to Monkey Kid.

Let's go through the family to see, shall we?

Macaque - He is the Moon. Once again, simple and understandable.

Sun Wukong - He is the Sun. Pretty simple and with no need to explain.

MK - Okay, hear me out on this one. When it comes to being the Monkie Kid, the Monkey King's successor, he is a Star. But! When it comes to being MK, the son of Wukong and Macaque, he isn't a star. He is the Sunset. Guardian of the Sun. Why? Well..

Mei - She is the Sunrise. Defender of the Moon. When it comes to the Sunset and Sunrise, I like to think of a sword and shield.

The Sun comes out to rule over the day and reaches the peak of power around midday before it begins to dwindle in it's power. At the end of the day, it has weakened significantly and needs time to regenerate its energy, but it also at risk of being overpowered by the Moon.

So why is MK the Sunset and Mei the Sunrise? Well, outside of the colors they tend to wear, they each have a close bond to one particular monkie dad a bit more than with the other. Mei was Macaque's daughter before becoming Wukong's and MK was Wukong's son before becoming Macaque's. They are the protectors of that Celestial body in a metaphorical sense.

The sun and moon balance each other in the cosmos, the Yin and Yang. They aren't allowed to overpower the other. As such, a guard/champion is each placed at the times of day where it is possible for one to be overpowered.

The Sunset protects the weakened Sun and makes way for the Moon, who is at full strength to come rule the night. The Sunrise does the same but opposite - protecting the weakened Moon and making way for the rise of the rejuvenated Sun.

So. Moving on to:

Cherry - Ri Shi. The Solar Eclipse. When the Moon covers the light of the Sun and all we can see in the sky is a ring of flames. She is quiet, but fiesty and dramatic (theatrical?) much like a Solar Eclipse. We know it is happening when it happens. It is hard to miss. And like how the Sun is covered up by the Moon, she hides her weaknesses and fear behind her anger and distrust/paranoia.

Apple - Yue Shi. The Lunar Eclipse. When the Earth blocks the Sun from the Moon. He is the one who usually speaks. Where Cherry only speaks every so often/rarely (like a Solar Eclipse), Apple will speak up often and with confidence in the same way the Moon is a constant. He is okay being in the background and less obvious akin to the Lunar Eclipse.

Nezha - He is a rainbow. Just as he has been adopted by only Wukong, a true natural born in the wild rainbow only shows during the day. While I don't know much about him from the show yet, (as I haven't seen S3 yet), I have a hunch he will be dramatic/eccentric and a somewhat colorful person and if that doesn't sound like a rainbow, I don't what does.

Yin and Jin - Here we have finally come to the Stars of the family. They have only been taken in by Macaque, just as the Stars are only really seen at night. Afar, they are but twinkling and dancing lights. Up close, they are completely different. The Chaos Twins are the same way-powerful in their own right, but prefer to be himbos himbros. Plus, the stars (for me at least) with twinkle between a golden color to a more blueish silver color.

And finally:

Zan - She is the one who answers the question I posed above. The Bridge of Light. The Aurora Borealis. Strategically chaotic, bright and beautiful to see in the night sky. The Bridge between the Sun and Moon. Zan has quite literally done this on many levels when it comes to Macaque and Wukong.

She was there when Wukong and Macaque finally talked and began officially courting due to Mac 'kidnapping' her to lure Wukong out since the king is impossible to kidnap as is common in the Demon Courting Customs. (If I remember correctly at least). She was the Bridge for them to be able to reach each other and become a couple.

Zan has also helped the Eclipse Twins integrate into the family. Inviting them to come do stuff or hang out, getting them used to being around other monkeys and around the dads. She likely was involved with the twins being able to befriend Bai He. She gave them love and comfort at times and in ways that others couldn't reach. She was the bridge to unite them with the family.

Zan is also the bridge in another BIG way. And it is due to being the reincarnation of the beloved Marshal Ma. Ma in the past brought the group together which lead to Ba and Beng getting married, Macaque finding a home, a family and eventually a mate. The one who advised Wukong in his duties as a king and did all she could to love and support her found family.

In recent times? Because of the situation surrounding her birth and being orphaned, she was brought into Wukong and Macaque's lives. She becomes close with Macaque in particular and has worked to help him in all she can. Zan being close allows the two ancient monkies to learn of her connection to Ma. This leads to the reunion of the original group, the Flower Fruit Monkies with Ma there in spirit. A family torn apart and reunited. This also leads to a reunion for the BlueHollys family.

Zan is the past and the present coming together in unison which will spear head the future. The uniting of the Old Flower Fruit group and the New Flower Fruit group. She is friends with all of them, (as I suspect she will worm her way into Nehza's heart as well).

Without her, Wukong and Macaque wouldn't have gone to see the generals. Ba and Beng would have likely never been reunited with their daughter while Bai He would have no sense of where she belongs. The Eclipse Twins would have had a EXTREMELY harder time connecting with their new family.

Zan is a bridge made with orderly chaos, love and light.

She is the Aurora Borealis.

[mageicalwishes]

Day 1, Found Family - New Traditions

The Gang start a new Festive tradition filled with love, laughter, music, food & fun.

Day 2, Distance - Say I Love You When You’re Not Listening

Baz reflects on the events of Wayward Son, and the hopelessness he feels. "A trip to try and save him - To save us. A last ditch effort to put some of the sunshine back in to his soul. Rammed together in economy, the press of his knee firm against mine, but his mind miles away. His eyes ever averted. Touching yet so far apart. I just wish I knew where I went wrong."

Day 3, Retellings - Changing History

The Mage's publicized documents reveal a myriad of painful truths about the loss of Natasha Grimm-Pitch and the origins of Simon Snow.

Day 4, Side Characters - Thawing Of A Heart

Malcolm & Daphne. “I’d always known that I would remarry eventually. It was my duty for the good of the family. Basil needed a mother. And I needed … someone. It was a simple, logical decision - To find a woman of good breeding, and give her the Grimm name. To carry on. But, through all my planning and preparation, I had never anticipated that I would fall in love. Never anticipated her."

Day 5, Sleepless - Tonight He Is Mine

"I can’t sleep. I can never sleep these days, not how I want to anyway - It's always either that I’m knocked out for 15 hours, waking up disoriented and heavy, or that I can barely catch a moment's rest. But today is different. My body is tired, and my mind is too. If I let myself, I’d be gone. But I won’t. I can’t. Tonight is my last night with Baz, and I don’t want to miss a minute of it."

Day 6, WLW - To Her, I Taste Of Nothing At All

Fiona & Ebb. "But then, before I even knew what was happening, she was kissing me back. And Crowley, I swear I melted. She tasted of cigarette smoke and spiced rum - Like fire personified."

Day 7, Animal(s) - Family Dog

My interpretation of ‘I was a 15-year-old closet case whose parents pretended they didn’t notice when the family dog disappeared’. “A shallow grave. So much less than she deserves. But … I can’t breathe. I can’t even think. I’m running on autopilot and adrenaline alone. Everything is just - I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how I got here. I'm losing control. I can't - I can't even look at her. She's still wrapped in my sheets. I can see her bleeding. I still want it. I still want more."

Day 8, Rain - From Across The Courtyard

"When I first met him, it was hammering it down. I was rushing to the main door in a desperate attempt to rescue my suede shoes, umbrella snagging against the wind, when I heard it - An impolite 'Oi! Are you new?'"

Day 9, Kids/Childhood - At The Top Of A Tower

Simon reflects on the few happy memories he made with Baz at Watford.

Day 10, Crossover - I’ll Give You The Stars

A loose crossover between Carry On and parts of I'll Give You The Sun. “He’s haloed under the streetlights, and I’m trying not to stare. But, it’s hard. His face is celestial - The sunshine of his soul peeking through his features. I want to say more, just so that he doesn’t leave. Our houses are right there but, I feel so ... multicoloured."

Day 11, Fluff - Keeping Warm

Simon & Baz spend a tentative first night together after the events of the forest fire. “He’s sighing against me, and sliding a hand up towards to my neck to hold me closer against him, and - Fuck. He’s freezing. I jolt backwards without meaning to. Staring down at him in awe - His pupils blown wide, and a faint (But definitely present) blush spread across his cheeks."

Day 12, Wings - The Guests Can Wait

"Weddings are even more exhausting than I had imagined. What with the panicked last minute search for Simon’s vows (Which ended up being in the mini-fridge of all places), and having to parade ourselves around all of our well-wishing friends and family. All I want to do was get him alone. To tell him, without the presence of a hundred witnesses, how much he means to me - How much the fact that we’re here, together, after everything, means to me."

Day 13, Below the Surface - Below The Surface

"Las Vegas is a sham of a city. Outside it’s all bright lights and glitzy shows - Normal magicians and celebrity chefs. But, beneath its shiny exterior, it’s nothing more than a grim desert, filled with counterfeit culture, and people burning through money they don’t really have. The Katherine is no exception."

Day 14, Constellation(s) - Mirror, Mirror

Simon struggles with his body image Post-Carry On. “Sometimes I just … get so mad at them (At myself, really). I wish that they’d just grow up and tell me like it is. Tell me how much I’ve disappointed them. Tell me that they no longer want me."

Day 15, Hurt/Comfort - First Aid

Simon cares for Baz's Buckshot wounds. Less angsty re-write of the scene in Wayward Son. “I glare at him - At his blackened under eyes, and matted hair. The slight hunch of his back. It does hurt. I know it does. Liar. I move my face closer to his, and breathe in his air. I want to hug him. To kiss him. To cheer him up, somehow. Make him better. But I can’t. I don’t know how. So, instead I step away. My hands dropping limply, to my sides."

Day 16, Meme/Crack - Baby, You Can Pick Me Up Any Day

Oovoo Javer? Oovoo Javer. AKA: Baz is Simon's slightly dickhead-ish Uber driver. “I kept trying to talk to him - Asking about his night, and whether he always listens to Classical music, or if it was just for show - but he ignored me. Staring unamusedly at me in the mirror, eyebrow raised and lips tilted downwards. He got 2 stars for that trip."

Day 17, Blanket Fort - Torch The Night-Filled Fort

Baz surprises Simon with a living room blanket fort transformation. “I turn to him, beaming. ‘Baz, what? What is this?’ He hums against me. ‘Blanket fort. You’re terribly inobservant, Snow.’ ‘Yeah, but … I mean, why?’ ‘Well, it’s been a year now since we left for America, and we’ve come a long way since then. Thought it was worth celebrating,’ he confesses, smiling shyly down at the floor.”

Day 18, Side Ships - You Got A Boyfriend?

Shepard & Penny. Shepard asks Penny a very important question (Well, in his mind, anyway).

Day 19, Misunderstanding - Wrong Bottle, Moron

Simon makes a VERY stupid mistake while showering. Cue, Baz coming to his rescue.

Day 20, Technology - Screenless

Baz and Simon have been chatting online for a year. It's finally time to meet IRL and take their relationship into HD reality.

Day 21, Warmth - Out In The Cold

Fangirl era. Simon and Baz get stuck in a snowstorm, and have to find a way to stay warm.

Day 22, Unlikely Friends - You’re My Bro

Shepard comes over to hang out with his bro ... Baz?

Day 23, Cooking/Baking - What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’?

Simon is making dinner. Baz is soft.

Day 24, Song - He Made It Easy, Darlin’

Simon & Baz struggle with trying to take the next step in their relationship. Inspired by Easy by Troye Sivan

Day 25, Parallel Universe - Parallelt Univers

Simon and Baz spend the day recovering in bed, after their first kiss. Inspired by the 'Parallel Universes' talk from Skam.

Day 26, Break - I Think We Should Break Up

Simon is trying to do what's right for Baz. Baz disagrees.

Day 27, Snowstorm - Searching In The Snow

Simon has lost his cat. So the only obvious choice is to hammer on his neighbour's door at 2AM ... And Baz is not impressed.

Day 28, Party - Festivities, Food, and Family. Chapter 1

"I’m over the bloody moon. After everything that happened after we left Watford, I wasn’t sure that I’d ever get to see this Snow - a truly joyful Snow - again. And it broke my heart. Yet, here we are, spending our fifth anniversary together, surrounded by friends and family in our own little London flat."

Day 29, Secret Santa/Gift Giving - Festivities, Food, and Family. Chapter 2

Day 30, Any Way the Wind Blows - Worst Road Trip ... Ever!

Shepard is NOT enjoying his trip back to England with the Gang. "I feel like a kid again, sat in the back of my mothers pick-up, hyped up on sugar, but belted down to the seat. Unable to run. Constantly being shushed."

Also huge thanks and praise goes to everyone involved in running the @carryon-countdown Countdown this year!!! I really enjoyed taking part :)

[impracticaldemon]

GRAYLU SIBLING EXCHANGE 2017

For: @clerfait​

From: Impracticaldemon  cc: @graylu-angstweek

~ 5500 words (Total story length: 13,500 words)

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 

If you enjoy this story, please let me know!  If you have concerns or comments, please let me know!  My ask box is always open.  Notes, likes and reblogs (or reviews on FF.net) are very much appreciated. :)

NOTE: I am posting the chapter below as well as on FF.net, however, please note that tumblr is not good at preserving original formatting (italics usually go missing and I often miss some when I manually edit); also, any edits for typos etc. will be made to the FF.net chapter

Chapter 3 – Resolution

[I] - The Shouting

Lucy had made a point of not looking for Gray during the wedding. Juvia had done a lot for her, and Lucy wasn't going to mess with Juvia's special ceremony, especially when she was there specifically to support her friend as a bridesmaid.

It was an outdoor ceremony, despite being the first of November, but everything had been designed with the comfort of the guests in mind. Naturally, there were glorious ice sculptures, but those were at some distance from the seating area, in an effort to make people feel less cold. Lucy hadn't been convinced that people could feel warm enough, sitting outdoors surrounded by ice sculptures with grey skies overhead, but in any event the ceremony part of the day was really quite short, so it didn't matter too much.

Despite her best intentions, Lucy hadn't been able to prevent a ball of nervous tension from forming in her stomach as the ceremony had concluded and people had started filing into carriages or walking down the road to get to the big reception being hosted at the Fairy Tail guildhall. Juvia had told her not to panic if there was a slight delay, and she had tried her best.

It had been Lyon, rather than Juvia, who had told Lucy where Gray was waiting. He had just handed his new bride into a carriage glittering with delicate ice carvings, and his smile had been unusually genuine and unshadowed:

"He thinks he's waiting for me, of course. We'd have told you sooner, but Juvia didn't want there to be any chance that you'd behave differently than expected, since Gray's suspicious enough to have watched everyone leaving just now. Anyway, good luck, Lucy! He's a stubborn… guy… but he's okay, I guess. Mostly."

To Lucy's surprise, he had patted her kindly on the shoulder, making up for the jab at his foster-brother and frequent rival. Then he had jumped gracefully into the carriage, white coat flaring briefly around his legs. A moment later, Juvia had leaned out and blown a kiss to Lucy, who had waved madly back. The moment the carriage had pulled away, however, Lucy had hurried into the stand of trees behind the open area where the ceremony had taken place. There was a small wooden shelter there designed as a meeting place or a shelter for those hiking the pleasant trails within this part of the forest. Supposedly, Gray Fullbuster, missing Ice Mage extraordinaire, was inside or lurking nearby.

Knowing that Gray was quick, suspicious-minded, and had very good ears, Lucy had rushed straight into the shelter without pausing for breath. She had been gratified to see him look up—it was him!—start forward in evident surprise, and then catch himself and freeze (ha!) into immobility.

Quite a few frustrated, angry, anxious words had struggled in Lucy's throat, shoving aside the calm speech that she had prepared for the occasion. What had come out was:

"You! I don't—! What the hell?! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

Lucy had even stamped her foot—shod in an expensive, high-heeled, crystal-covered shoe—for emphasis. Then she had been forced to blink away tears. There had been a short silence, and then Gray had tugged at his silvery tie and run a hand over the nape of his neck.

"I made a promise."

"WHAT?!" Apparently, Lucy hadn't quite gotten the shouting out of her system, yet.

"… Look, Lucy, I should go…"

"NOT A CHANCE!"

Lucy had taken a deep, allegedly cleansing breath and tried again. "I mean… please stick around long enough to tell me why the… why you kissed me and then disappeared for ten months!"

Gray had shifted from foot to foot, hands shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders a little hunched. Bizarrely, all desire to shout had suddenly drained out of Lucy, and she had found herself waiting anxiously for his reply.

"I promised myself that I'd give you a year," he had said at last. "When Juvia announced her engagement, I mean. Because… although I thought that she might get over me, I had finally decided that I had to stop wanting what I couldn't have and learn to love what was in front of me."

"You were learning to love Juvia? That's pretty arrogant, considering that she's smart, pretty and a kick-ass mage!" Ten months of anxious wondering kept outmanoeuvering the kind, patient things that Lucy had meant to say.

Gray's own temper had finally splintered:

"Well she's MARRIED now, so it's kind of a moot point, isn't it?!" His voice had been a long way from calm, all of a sudden. "And I'd ALREADY FOUND a smart, pretty, KICK-ASS mage I was interested in!"

At that point, Gray had managed some kind of indecipherable growl of disgust or frustration, and in the blink of an eye, the tie vanished abruptly (well, it ended up tossed onto one of the wooden chairs) and the dress shirt followed suit a moment later. Lucy had found herself staring, for the first time in more than ten months, at the dark blue Fairy Tail guildmark on Gray's upper right-hand chest. He was a little thinner, she thought, but still tremendously fit. Then it had dawned on her that she was avoiding processing what Gray had just said.

She hadn't dared to close her eyes, for fear that he might somehow slip away, so she had taken a shaky breath instead and asked directly: "What was that last part?"

Silence. Gritting her teeth and remembering that she'd told Juvia that she—Lucy—had courage too, Lucy had announced in a clear voice:

"I wouldn't mind finding out if I like you back, Gray. As something other than friends. If that's what you're talking about. But it's a little difficult to do that WHEN YOU AREN'T HERE!"

More silence, and then Gray had turned his head away and folded his arms.

"Gray?"

"I need more time."

"To do what? I'm not the only one who misses you, you know?"

"Yeah, well, I'm not interested in Flame-brain in that way."

Lucy had snorted. "I was picking up on that. So what are you saying?"

"I worked really hard to give you your space so that you could get used to the guild, used to the team… used to the people on the team. And you just… liked everyone, you know? Stupid Natsu and his stupid problems with transportation… He gets back late to the guildhall but suddenly he's got this really beautiful blond girl with him and she's a mage but just a little inept—"

"Oi! Inept?!" Lucy had felt a jolt at being called beautiful, but she'd carefully ignored it. She was being patient with the moron.

"—Yeah, just a little… But all fun and friendly and really trying to do stuff and putting up with my and Natsu's crap, you know? And I'm not saying you're inept now…"

"Gee, thanks. Most guys just wait for a good opportunity and bring flowers or something—they don't start thinking about getting engaged TO SOMEBODY ELSE! AND THEN LEAVE FOR TEN MONTHS!"

"Yeah? Well Natsu isn't most guys, and you two are really close, so what do I know?! When you were sick? HE BROUGHT YOU A FREAKING TREE! I was going to bring you flowers, but HE BROUGHT A TREE!"

Lucy had made the mistake of laughing slightly.

"Okay, that was pretty cool."

Gray hadn't been amused. He'd turned right around and smacked the "rustic" shelter wall, leaving a distinctly frosty imprint.

"And let's not forget Loke, shall we? Leader of the Greater Celestial Spirits and playboy of Fairy Tail? He damn well shows up whenever he likes and you're pretty cozy with him, too!"

"But you like Loke!"

"Well I like Natsu, too—don't tell him I said that—but that doesn't mean I like it that he casually stops by your bedroom and you make him breakfast in the morning! And Loke's worse because I know he's a pervert, whereas Flame-brain's just an idiot."

Lucy had crossed her own arms at this point.

"Is there something you're trying to say, here? I didn't almost get engaged to either of them, in case you hadn't noticed. Unlike you and Juvia!"

"She wanted to get married, she liked me a lot, I liked her… enough… I thought. You didn't even notice me. I mean jeez, you'll hug anyone, anytime! Especially Flame-brain!"

"I AM NOT some kind of, of HUGGING SLUT! How dare you!"

"Yeah, well, you're really confusing, okay?!"

Lucy hadn't noticed, in her (totally justified) anger, but the two of them were only a three or four feet apart now. Gray had been looking distinctly flushed, which was unusual. Even as Lucy had opened her mouth to retort, she'd noticed, again, that Gray was a good-looking guy, even if he was being intensely irritating.

"HOW—I mean, how—am I confusing?" Lucy was proud of herself for bringing her tone back into line. She also took a step back, creating some space. "And why didn't you get engaged to Juvia, if you liked her so much?"

Gray had appeared to grit his teeth, and his eyebrows had drawn down into a tight, black vee.

"Well, first of all, she got engaged to somebody else. You may have noticed that."

"Yeah, well, you weren't very kind to her, were you? Juvia was always super-sweet to you and you either ignored it or snapped at her."

"I'm not saying I handled it well. I owe Juvia an apology. That's on me. Of course, I'm not saying that she always handled it well either. She was a little scary sometimes—"

"You're a little scary sometimes!" Lucy had protested, narrowing her eyes. She had felt the need to speak up on behalf of her friend, since she knew that Juvia was very embarrassed (and sorry) about the time she had accidentally dosed everyone in the guild with an illegal love potion.

Gray had started to glare down at the floor at that point, and Lucy had told herself that she wasn't being entirely fair. Everyone had made their share of mistakes. If Lucy wanted answers now, she had to be more willing to just listen. She had murmured an apology, and had endured a rather stormy look from Gray before he'd continued.

"…To finish answering your original question, so that I can get out of here: when Juvia got engaged I realized that I still… liked… somebody else. A lot. And it freaked me out that I almost got married to the wrong person, for the wrong reasons, just out of impatience or something. I knew that if I stayed around, I wouldn't be able to give the person I really liked the time she needed to decide how she felt about it, without pushing for a decision. So I decided to go away, for long enough to get my head back on straight, and… maybe for long enough for other people to figure out how they felt."

Lucy had felt her throat and chest tighten a little, since Gray's voice had gotten softer as he'd spoken. He'd sounded less angry and more sad, somehow.

"Do you really need to stay away? Maybe you could just say how you feel to the person now and see what happens?"

Gray had shrugged uncomfortably.

"I don't think so. I kind of messed things up once already. And… well, I don't want to go into everything right now, okay?"

At that point, Gray had noticed his shirt and tie lying on the chair and had made a point of turning around to put the shirt back on and loop the tie around the collar. By the time he had finished, Lucy had been strangely close to tears.

"So you're going to head off then? Just like that? I… I wish you wouldn't."

The first few words had slipped out, a little angry and a lot bitter. But the image of Juvia's face had risen unbidden in her mind, and so she'd choked out the last part and discovered that it did feel good to tell the plain truth. Even if her ego didn't like it much.

The stiff shoulders in the navy dress shirt had relaxed slightly and Gray had turned slowly to face her, his expression cautious. Lucy's usual empathy had finally kicked in enough to realize that the discussion hadn't gone the way Gray had wanted either. Instinctively, she had put out a hand. She had been surprised, though, when he'd taken it.

"Lucy…"

His fingers had been warmer than hers, as though the cold, damp November air didn't affect him much, which was no doubt true. Once again, Lucy had felt the odd, rushing, breathless sensation she'd gotten when he'd kissed her ten months before. She'd stared down at his hand around hers, realizing how much bigger it was, even though Gray wasn't a particularly tall man compared to many of the other mages at Fairy Tail. She'd allowed her attention to be diverted by all the scars she could see, just on this one hand; some were fine, white lines, barely visible, others were darker and the skin was slightly puckered.

"I guess you're right," Gray had finally said, presumably watching her study his hand. "I might as well… say it now… since you're here…"

Lucy had felt her cheeks reddening, and the breathless feeling had increased along with the speed of her heartbeat. She'd almost made him stop, although it would have been hard to explain why, exactly. She'd kept her eyes lowered, totally unable to deal with his expression, whatever it was.

"So…" Gray had cleared his throat. "I like you a lot, Lucy. I have for a long time. Um—as something different than a friend—I think was how you put it. But as a friend, too, right? Because I really don't want to change that."

Lucy had tried to say something at that point, but Gray had put a fingertip on her lips. He had been standing very close to her by then, their joined hands held between them almost as a barrier instead of a bridge.

"No wait, I want to finish. I think I might be… I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, to be honest. But the problem is that a lot of people love you, and you love a lot of people. I want to make sure that if you ever love me back… in the same way, I mean… then it's just me. It's probably dumb, but I thought that if I could stay away for long enough, then you'd have the chance to hang out with other people, and that might help you figure things out somehow. Also… and you'll probably hate me for this… after things with Juvia, I needed to make sure that I really wasn't interested in anyone else. But you, I mean."

The finger on her lips had moved under her chin and had tilted her face up. Lucy had felt as though she couldn't breathe at all, as she'd reluctantly met Gray's dark eyes—were they dark grey (haha) or very dark blue or what?

"I need you to be patient—no, I mean, I'm asking you to be patient. Right or wrong, I made a promise to myself—like a New Year's resolution—that I'd stay away at least a year. Besides, I've got a job to do, where I am right now. And being at Lyon and Juvia's wedding today was a bit weird."

Abruptly, irritation had resurfaced.

"Why couldn't you have just stayed and worked things out here?! I mean, a whole year? Really?"

Lucy had expected Gray to get angry again, but although his lips had tightened a little, he had kept a firm hold on her hand and hadn't looked away.

"And a lifetime is even longer, Luce. I got really, really scared when Juvia announced her engagement. Not just because I realized how dumb I was being, but because it meant that I couldn't go on using my 'sort of, maybe' involvement with Juvia as a way to pretend that I didn't want something different with you. It's kind of annoying, but I think Natsu's known about how I feel for a while. Lyon's always said I wasn't good enough for Juvia, but that's different; I think he fell for her really early on."

"But why didn't you just tell me?!" Lucy demanded. "Or ask me out?"

"Because it was obvious that you hadn't even considered the possibility. Just… think about it, Luce. You were always reading those romance books and checking out every new guy you met in case he was THE ONE—"

"That is not true!"

"No? Well, what about the time you thought Natsu was going to ask you out but it turned out that he just wanted to borrow Virgo to dig for treasure?"

"Well he was hardly a 'new guy'! But how—"

"Or how you behaved when we met the guys from Blue Pegasus?"

"They're really good at what they do!"

"Or there was the guy you met in the bookstore. I could be wrong, but in the end you chose to go on a job with Natsu over your date with him, but that doesn't make me feel a lot better."

"Your point?"

"If I'd asked you out a year ago you would have been confused. Or worried. Or uncomfortable. In my less jealous moments, I realized that you really weren't interested in anyone like that—at least, not that I could see. You liked the idea of romance, but not any particular guy. Or girl, I guess, although I didn't really consider that. Of course, if there is somebody, then now would be a good time to tell me." Gray paused and then added: "Actually, about twenty minutes ago would have been better."

Lucy had struggled to come up with a good answer. She hadn't wanted him to go. She had liked the way it felt to have somebody hold her hand in a sort of romantic way (although she still didn't quite have her head around romance and Gray—which she wasn't about to admit).

"You'll come back?" Lucy had wanted to kick herself the moment the words were out of her mouth. She hated sounding whiny or childish; people didn't take her seriously enough as it was.

"Promise. Although I can't guarantee I'll stay if… if things don't work out."

"So you want me to be patient."

"Yeah."

"I'm not sure that's my strong point… where people are concerned. I mean, at least I don't go looking for the most dangerous place in a battle, like you and Natsu do."

Gray had rolled his eyes. "Let's leave Flame-brain out of this, okay? Look, it's up to you what you do now. That's part of why I don't think I should be here. You're soft on your friends and I don't want to be left wondering if you just felt kind of bad for me."

"Thanks for trusting my judgment."

"Fair point. If it makes you feel better, just tell yourself that I don't trust my judgment when it comes to you. But I've really got to go now."

"I'm really mad at you for staying away for so long just to make things easier for yourself!" Lucy had felt tears coming, and that had made the defensive anger return in force.

A strange look had crossed Gray's face. Then his already dark eyes had taken on an even darker expression. Maybe Lucy had imagined it, but it had seemed as if the room had gotten suddenly colder. Before she could move, Gray had bent down and pressed a kiss on her neck, just behind her ear. It had made her shiver. The breath on her ear had been warm, but the words he had whispered to her weren't:

"What the hell made you think it's been easy?"

Lucy had been so startled—again—that she hadn't made a sound when he'd let go of her hand, turned, and stalked out. By the time she'd rushed through the door herself, she'd caught no more than a glimpse of somebody hurrying away through the trees. She'd seriously debated summoning one of her spirits, but a moment's thought had made her put her keys back into the elegant pouch at her waist. The pouch, which was far more elegant than her usual working case, reminded her of Juvia, who had given it to her. Whose wedding reception she was missing.

"You are being such a JERK!" she'd shouted in the direction that she thought Gray had gone. Then she'd hurried off to where a waiting carriage would take her to the guild hall and Juvia and Lyon's party.

When Loke had shown up in the carriage, she'd snarled at him, causing him to shake his head at her with a sigh.

"I'll send Virgo to fix your make-up," he'd told her. "And don't worry, we'll talk later."

"Or not," Lucy had muttered, when he'd disappeared again. But she hadn't turned down Virgo's help with her make-up—it was definitely smudged around her eyes for some reason.

[II] - The Kissing

It was the holiday season again, just a few days after the anniversary of the day that Gray had first left for parts unknown. In fact, it was New Year's Eve, and Lucy was dressed up in a softly-draped, dark blue velvet dress that fit perfectly and had been very expensive. Erza and Levy had both been impressed, but neither had been tactless enough to ask whether Lucy had a date for the evening.

Although it was only an hour or so until midnight, Lucy wasn't at the guild hall with the rest of her friends. Instead, she stood with her arms crossed looking out her front window at the street below, where a light dusting of snow was being blown here and there by fitful gusts of wind.

Lucy had been crushed—although she had barely admitted it to herself, let alone to her friends—when Gray hadn't shown up on the exact anniversary of his first abrupt departure. Christmas had felt like a disaster, despite an unusually successful gift-exchange at the guild, where somehow everyone had ended up with something they actually wanted and liked.

Every evening since the one-year mark, once she was home for the night, Lucy had stood looking out her front window, waiting for a particular face and figure to emerge from the darkness. She had decided that New Year's Eve would be the last night she would keep watch, though. Her thoughts about exactly what she would resolve to do on New Year's Day were still a little nebulous, but there would be no more evening vigils for a confused and confusing ice mage who couldn't even keep his promises.

The small clock that Juvia (and Lyon, presumably) had given her for Christmas chimed the quarter hour, and Lucy felt her heart sink. It had been very hard to be patient over the last two months. Being patient meant a lot more than just waiting, she'd discovered. It meant waiting without resentment, which was extraordinarily difficult to do. Anyone could wait impatiently for something to happen. It was much more difficult to wait without giving in to abstraction, moodiness, or despair. Had anybody being paying attention, they would have had to credit Lucy for being as cheerful and optimistic as reasonably possible under the circumstances. In fact, several people had been watching, and did give Lucy silent kudos for behaving extraordinarily well, all things considered. Lucy would have been surprised to know that Natsu, long-famed for his hot-headedness and general inattention to anything not immediately on his to-do list, was among those keeping a close eye on how she was feeling.

The chimes sounded the half-hour, and Lucy started to move away from the window, intending to get herself a glass of champagne to keep her company for the last thirty minutes of her vigil. She had just cast a quick glance back over her shoulder when she saw him. Black, wind-tousled hair, as wild as always; dark eyes under thin dark brows drawn down into a slight frown; a dark jacket left open over a dark collared shirt, with a bright triangle of white at the base of the neck suggesting a t-shirt underneath.

Lucy stood absolutely motionless, heart accelerating wildly out of something that felt more like relief than actual joy. It was just as well that she hadn't been holding a glass.

When Gray left her field of vision in order to come into the building, Lucy realized that her hands were trembling slightly and her eyes were wet with tears. Was she always going to associate this man with tears? What kind of weird relationship was that?

She found that she still couldn't move, except to turn to face the door into her apartment. When the expected tap sounded on the wood, she had to clear her throat before telling the visitor to come in. She'd left the door unlocked, perhaps unwisely, but she'd felt that it was the right thing to do and she was prone to acting on intuition.

The door swung open with some force, and the visitor—it really was Gray, Lucy thought rather bemusedly—rushed across the threshold. Now that he was inside, Lucy saw black smudges under the dark eyes, and deep lines of fatigue etched around compressed lips. Unfortunately, her usual good manners had deserted her, and she just stared at him. After taking a few steps into the room, Gray stopped and stared back, taking in the elegant gown, the elaborate, upswept hair, and the carefully applied (and now slightly smudged) makeup. His first words, however, were to the point:

"Am I in time?"

Lucy nodded, and Gray breathed out a sigh of patent relief. Then he walked over and took her hands, with a murmured "may I?" to which Lucy had just nodded again.

"So… I'm really, really sorry I'm late. You might not have heard, but in a lot of areas the trains haven't moved in days. It's weird, because we don't usually get this kind of snow, but… well, that's how it was. It was a very long walk. Good thing I don't mind snow."

"True." This time Lucy managed a weak smile. He was here.

"Um, I would've been here a bit sooner, but there were a lot of people who needed help. I'm afraid that ice magic wasn't really the best suited for the crisis, but with a bit of creativity it wasn't bad."

"Gray."

"Sorry, I'm babbling, I know. I was really scared that I wouldn't get here before midnight and you'd decide never to see me again or something crazy."

All of a sudden, the shock of finally seeing him wore off and Lucy had to suppress the urge to smack her—well, what was he, exactly? Admirer? That sounded really dumb and not at all like the slightly taciturn and frequently sarcastic ice mage she'd gotten to know over two years of wild adventures and one year of aggravating silence.

"Crazy? Like, I don't know, taking off for a WHOLE YEAR without even leaving an address? Seriously?"

Gray looked as though he wanted to rub the back of his neck as he usually did when embarrassed or stressed. He shifted uncomfortably instead, but kept Lucy's hands tightly between his own.

"Right, yeah, I know. How about if I give you the first of what will probably be several heartfelt apologies?"

Lucy softened despite herself. Yes, part of her wanted to make him pay for all the pain and anxiety of the last year. But the better part of her wanted to put the past behind them and concentrate on whether there was a future. Lucy wasn't naturally inclined to hold grudges, and she'd spent most of the last two months, and a lot of the last year, trying not to become resentful.

"Sure."

"I am totally, incredibly, absolutely sorry for taking off for a year instead of figuring out a better way to handle the situation. I thought I was doing the right thing for everyone, but now I'm not so sure. Either way, if grovelling will help, I'll grovel."

Very tentatively, Gray leaned forward and kissed Lucy's forehead. When she didn't pull away, he relaxed a little and closed his eyes, shifting so that his dark, spiky hair stayed in contact with Lucy's bright golden head.

"I fell for you a long time ago. You're pretty, you're smart, you're kind, you're loyal, and you work hard to get better at what you do. I probably should've just told you that at some point, once I'd figured it out myself. The thing is… you seemed totally oblivious to the guys who were interested in you, except that when somebody went too far you thought he was a creep. But you were really close to your friends, and you're a great friend."

"You chickened out."

"Ouch. Maybe, I don't know. I'm not sure I was totally wrong. Lucy now isn't the same as Lucy three, or even two years ago."

"Hmm."

The clock chimed the three-quarter hour, causing Gray to look over at it.

"Convenient. Now I know I've still got fifteen minutes."

"For what?"

"Look, don't move, okay?"

Gray shifted a few inches away so that he could take off his coat and slightly damp outer shirt. Then he put his hands lightly on Lucy's bare shoulders.

"I didn't want to get your dress wet with snow. Now that I've fixed that…" His arms went around her, still slowly, his nearly-black eyes watching her to make sure that she didn't mind. "Is this alright?"

Lucy was enjoying the feeling of being so close more than she'd expected. The romance novels hadn't been as exaggerated as she'd thought. She felt herself blush.

"Uh, Lucy?"

"Yes, this is fine. In fact, it's… nice."

He pulled her more tightly against him, so that her head was tucked against his shoulder. It didn't feel at all like hugging a friend. In fact, this particular sensation, or collection of sensations—the rapid heartbeat, the rather shallow breath, the awareness of comfort and danger at the same time—was going to make Lucy a little more wary about hugging guys for a while. It was one thing to have the basic concept, but the reality was a lot more… Lucy contemplated vocabulary, finally coming up with "intimate". Or maybe "sensual"?

"You know, I have no idea what you're thinking," Gray said quietly, not far from her ear.

Lucy blushed even more fiercely, and was glad that her face was at least partly hidden from view.

"Oh… I was… wondering what you meant about the fifteen minutes."

"About five now. By the way, you are incredibly distracting."

"Really?"

"Completely."

"Good."

Lucy felt as though she could hear Gray smile into her hair. She definitely heard him draw in a deep breath.

"Would you go out with me? Also, if the answer's yes, then may I have a kiss for New Year's? A proper one?"

Lucy smiled to herself. Gray was a very good friend; one of her closest friends. But she was definitely willing to try for something more, or different, or however people wanted to put it.

"Sure—yes. To both. But I'm still annoyed that you made me wait."

The arms around her loosened enough for Gray to look down into her eyes. Lucy grinned roguishly up at him, and saw his dark eyes gleam back in appreciation. Or anticipation.

"You don't really sound annoyed, Ms. Heartfilia."

"Don't push your luck, Mr. Fullbuster."

"No guarantees on that, I'm afraid. I'll always ask first, but I don't want you to call me a coward again. If that's pushing my luck, so be it."

Although the clock hadn't quite started chiming midnight yet, Gray bent down and stole a kiss. That seemed to work out very well, so he claimed another one. By the time the little clock finished ringing in the New Year, Gray and Lucy were oblivious to the sound. They were wrapped up in each other, mouths together, lips parted, hands now touching skin instead of just clothing.

[III] - The Voyeurs

Across the road, two sets of eyes were fixed unashamedly on the couple clearly visible in the lighted window above.

"They're really rather sweet," murmured Erza, smiling mistily.

Loke smirked.

"Well in my opinion," he replied, "it's more a case of it's about freaking time."

Erza sighed.

"Happy New Year, Loke."

"Happy New Year, Erza. By the way… have you heard anything from Jellal lately?"

[THE END]

A/Note: Thank you for reading! Again, all reviews, comments (feel free to PM me here or on tumblr), likes and reblogs are appreciated!