Gray x Lucy Short -- I've Got You

Lucy slid her nightshirt on, turning to glance out the window. It'd been several hours since school had ended, and she'd long since said goodnight to her friends. She threw her keys aside, and they landed with a light clanging on the desk beside the door. She flopped down on the bed, burying her face in the pillow and shaking her head.

She rolled over onto her back, laying there for nearly ten minutes, just staring at the ceiling. Sleep, sleep...she rolled onto her side, away from the window. How long has it been since I've slept well? It's not that she was upset; no, as a matter of fact, she was happier than ever at school right now. No, it was a matter of her thoughts keeping her awake long after midnight.

She closed her eyes, breathing slowly, trying as best she could to fall asleep. When sleep did come, it was uneasy, and her usual dream reoccurred; her father throws a plate at her head and she ducks, causing the plate to shatter against the wall. Her father, as always, began to chase her down the long hallway.

Finally, as always, she was cornered. Her fathers shadow loomed over her, and she huddled up into her little ball. He grabbed her hair, picking her up and screaming in her face, "you're worthless! Why do you even exist?" He'd then toss her aside, and she'd smash into the door, and she'd begin to cry.

Lucy's head shot up and she pulled herself into a sitting position, her eyes glazed with the fear that she was becoming accustomed to. Every night for a month. She placed her head in her hands and began to cry; she normally felt so happy, but now she just felt...lonely. 

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. At first, she ignored it, believing it was a text. However, it continued vibrating and she picked it up, seeing that her friend Gray was calling. She answered it, keeping as strong of a voice as she could. "Hey! Why are you calling me at this hour?"

The other end of the line was silent for a moment; finally, he replied casually, "why are you up this late?"

She looked at the floor, clutching her pajama pants tightly and muttering, "because."

Another silence before Gray asked, "Lucy, what's going on with you?"

Lucy's eyes widened a little. "What do you mean?" Her voice was shaking. Don't you dare cry when you're talking to him. Don't you dare.

Gray continued, "you seem fine at school to everyone else, but to me, you just seem...tired." He hesitated. "I know it's a bit weird that I'm worrying about you; seems like that would be...Natsu's job."

Lucy bit her lip. Natsu was her best friend, and everyone at the school expected them to end up together. Truthfully, she had no personal feelings towards the boy, but found amusement in poking at other people's fantasies by interacting with him as much as possible in front of a crowd. However, Gray and her had a much less touchy kind of friendship. It was, in fact, a bit strange for him to be showing concern.

She hadn't felt it, but another tear had fallen, and she sniffled.

Gray's voice raised immediately. "Lucy, what's wrong?!"

Lucy's voice was threatening to crack. "Nothing!" There was no way she'd let Gray hear her cry; there was no reason for her to worry him. Unfortunately, her voice cracked, and a tear slid down her face. "I'm just stressed about school." 

"Lucy, you're crying."

Lucy didn't respond. she simply dropped the phone to her lap, her eyes scanning the floor. She closed the phone curtly, ending the call as more tears slid down her face. She wiped a few away, truly trying to stop. She hated worrying her friends; I just want the nightmares to go away.

Suddenly there was a creaking sound and a cold blast of air. She turned quickly; Gray was coming in through her window from her balcony, the cold wind making the curtains in her room flail everywhere.

"Gray?!"

Gray ignored her; he shut the window, drawing the curtains and turning to Lucy. The blonde stood up quickly, her eyes scanning the shirtless ice wizard. "What are you doing?!"

Gray stepped down off of the bed, not speaking a word. He exhaled sharply, wrapping both arms around her and pulling her close to him. Lucy's heartbeat increased, and she felt tears threaten to spill again as she rested her head on Gray's shoulder.

"You can cry now," he whispered.

She felt her head spinning. "What?"

Gray held her tighter, and she felt his breath on her neck. For an ice wizard, he was unbelievably warm. "I've got you; you can cry." 

At this point, Lucy was beyond confused. Where had he come from? How did he get here so fast? Why was he suddenly telling her to cry on him? "You're an idiot," she whispered, but she immediately pushed herself as close to him as she could get, throwing both arms around him, burying her face into his chest and allowing herself to cry.

"I just want the nightmares to stop, Gray," she whispered, her voice hoarse. These nightmares had been eating away at her sleep for a month now; they were scarring her, pushing her farther into a void of fear. She wasn't sure why she wasn't questioning Gray on why he had just suddenly appeared at her house; maybe it was due to the lack of sleep that she just didn't care.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's because...she felt his grip on her tighten, and felt the warmth of his body. It soothed her, and she felt a few final tears sliding down her face.

"I've got you," Gray whispered, turning her head with a gentle hand and resting his forehead on hers. Their noses brushed, and

Lucy finally smiled, muttering, "Gray." Maybe, just maybe, it's because I'm not alone anymore.

She felt his lips press against hers; the kiss sent almost icy sparks through her body, and she dug her fingers into his bare back; not that it hurt him. She felt another tear spill from her eye, but now she was chuckling a little, pulling him in, needing to feel his kiss again.

Gray used a hand to hold her cheek when he kissed her this time, but it was short lived. "Lucy, are you alright?"

Lucy nodded; she rested her head on his chest, wrapping both of her arms around his stomach and sinking to her knees. Gray looked down at her, cracking a gentle sideways smile.

"Gray...did you really notice?" She glanced up at him. He nodded, running a hand through her hair and offering her a hand. She took it, and he stood her up.

He took her hand and muttered, "I love you." She barely heard the words; more tears leaked from her eyes and she began to sob again, but this time, she was smiling.

She lunged at him, bowling him over onto the bed, holding him around his abdomen as she lay on top of him, resting her head on his shoulder. He brought his arms up around her as well, leaning his head a bit to rest it against Lucy's.

"Don't cry around anyone else, though; it's unlike you."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, kissing his neck as more tears slid down her face. They eventually fell asleep like this, and when Lucy almost bolted upright from her nightmare, Gray held her tightly; Lucy glanced down at him, her eyes gleaming with affection as he muttered, "don't panic, Lucy." He kissed her one more time, calming the blonde's frayed nerves. "I've got you."