Mating season (NaLu)

Kinda depressing, not that important story detail:)

Grays POV

I went to a different train cabin to figure out the lacrima I found in the box that future Natsu had left with the book. I fiddled with it, turning it this and that way. The lacrima only had one button, but it couldn't be pressed, it was down already. There was a hole on the top of it. I squinted my eyes and looked closely at it. A barely noticeable script on the side: "insert magic to record."

I don't want to record anything. What would I even record at all? Me speaking? Some sort of soundtrack?

I turned it upside down and found a hole on the bottom that had a similar note: "insert magic to listen."

Okay, I can listen it. Only what kind of magic? Do I just freeze it or what?

I toyed with it for an hour at least. Freezing and then knocking the ice off. I got bored and looked outside the window.

Gramps and Gildarts can show their magic without a spell.

Natsu could never though, his magic is fire. And mine is ice. I can't just let the magic out without the ice. It's crazy.

I have been here for so long that Juvia, I guess, couldn't bear it anymore and came to my side. I put the lacrima down to the box again and made it seem like I wasn't paying attention to it.

"Hey, what have you been doing here for so long, Gray-sama?" she asked me sitting down beside me.

"Thinking. You know how Gramps and Gildarts can show their magic without actually using their magic for a spell?" I started, she looked puzzled but nodded, "I've been thinking how is that possible, could I do it?" Juvia has a lot of intelligence and experience, she knows a lot about different types of magic from the days she was at the dark guild.

Juvia looked really surprised. "Gray-sama, are you seriously asking me this? It's the easiest way to train your magic and you've never tried it?"

I grumbled, "I was just thinking! It's not like I need it anyway. I train when I fight." She smiled and took my hand, I reluctantly let her.

"It's really easy. You just close your eyes and find the flow of your magic. The source of life, it's always there," she talked softly with her eyes closed, her hand resting on mine, "and when you feel it really clearly, try to imagine it flowing in your veins."

"And then imagine a hole forming in one place. The magic escaping through it," she took a deep breath through her mouth and exhaled slowly, her hand started to glow a little and I felt her magic against my hand, "and then, where you imagined it, it'll escape your body."

The magic flowed out of her body through her hand. It wasn't harmful against my hand, more like a pleasant feeling of energy. Existence of power. Potential.

It's a funny feeling - magic. Just pure magic. Neither harmful nor harmless. You feel as if your life could be in danger and yet at the same time like it could save you.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked into mine, her hair flowing around her face magically. Suddenly, I imagined the kiss we shared last night. I intertwined our fingers for who knows why and watched a slight blush rise onto her face. We stared at each other for a moment and then Juvia went off with her fangirling.

"Aah, my darling Gray-sama is holding my hand," she ripped her hand from mine like I had burnt it and admired it, "this must surely mean a marriage." Her eyes glistened with little stars.

"SO NOT TRUE!" I shouted and shaked my head seeing that my sentence had no effect at all. There she goes again. But I looked at my hand nevertheless - nothing had happened to it. It was just as before.