GrayLu Week 2017

Fragrance

I'm not late, you're late.

GrayLu Week 2017: Fragrance

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Gray hadn't noticed a difference in Lucy until after the last of his stuff had crept to her place.

There wasn't exactly a conversation about him moving in; it just kind of happened. There was no awkward talk about if they were ready to make things that official, there were no nervous and stressful days of moving. Lucy just handed him a key one day, and soon after, most of Gray's belongings had found themselves in a new home.

It seemed natural. Nothing really changed except Gray didn't have to go back to his place for clothes every few days. Natsu, Happy, and Erza still broke in unannounced, they still went on normal missions, the team continued to destroy things while they worked, but at the end of the day, Gray and Lucy went home together. Gray didn't talk about it, but Lucy knew it made him happy to have that kind of permanence in his life.

Gray first noticed the change while watching her change the sheets.

He was eating a muffin she'd gotten up so early to make for him. Gray woke up to the smell of blueberries, and he'd thanked her in that quiet, 'less-is-more' mentality that was so very him. He stood behind her as she was pulling them out of the pan, and he kissed the top of her head before ruffling her long blonde hair. Lucy smiled, pleased with herself.

She left him in the kitchen to eat as she set about making the bed while he woke up. That's when he noticed it. Something was different about her, in those moments, but he couldn't quite figure out what. Gray cocked his head to the side as he watched her hips sway in the moment, hearing her voice hum softly as she stripped the bed. He watched her feminine curves move elegantly while her back was turned. Gray realized he was distracted and staring, shaking his head quietly as he went back to his muffin. Maybe he'd imagined it, he thought, absently moving closer to her.

The next time he noticed it was when Lucy was just getting out of the shower a couple nights later. He'd been proof reading a chapter she'd been working on when she walked past in only a towel, catching Gray's attention for what seemed like obvious reasons, but as he was turning to admire her while she found clothes to wear to bed, something seemed... different. Gray was absolutely dumbstruck by the overwhelming feeling that he was missing something. He took a moment to look at the intricate details of his mate: her hair was still long and blonde, her body was still beautifully built, her smile was still just as soft. The color of her eyes was just as blue as the day she joined Fairytail, and her guild mark still stood out prominently on the back of her hand.

Gray frowned. He was missing something.

"Gray?"

Lucy's voice called him out of his trace, and immediately he realized he'd been staring. She was smirked slightly, her hand clasping the towel to her chest, and Gray blushed, embarrassed as he scratched the back of his neck and returned his eyes to the manuscript in front of him. Lucy giggled. Out of Gray's peripheral vision, he saw a town be cast aside, along with his thoughts of something different, momentarily losing himself in the thought of her intimacy as she approached him.

It didn't occur to him again until he was staring at the ceiling that night, a bare celestial mage sleeping silently on his chest. Gray's fingers played fondly with the ends of her hair as he thought. He thought maybe he'd been imagining it, that maybe being so officially-unofficial was affecting the way he thought. He sighed, watching the stars out the window. They seemed to bring him so much comfort since they she and he became them. It was humorous to Gray, realizing just how far he'd come emotionally with her by his side. Peace overcame him, and he fell asleep wrapped in her comfort.

When Gray awoke the next day, Lucy was already gone, a note she left telling him she'd gone to the guild early to meet Levy.

He noticed it again when he walked into the bathroom to shower that morning. It was just an overwhelming sense of something he couldn't quite put his finger on. At this point, Gray was infuriated. After his being this befuddled for days, he threw on a pair of pants, not even bothering with a shirt as he took off out the door.

Gray came bursting into the guild, causing a small commotion. His eyes searched the room until they came to a very concerned and slightly embarrassed blonde, and Gray blushed, realizing he'd made a scene. He waited momentarily for the normal buzz of the guild to resume, before moving quickly to where Lucy sat at the bar with Levy.

"I give up," Gray told her, breathless. Lucy looked confused, cocking her head as he absently reached for her hand; they hadn't exactly told much of the guild about their relationship, so the slightly public display of affection caught her off-guard.

"What are you talking about, Gray?" the blonde asked. Levy watched them interact. She was one of the only ones in the guild outside of Team Natsu that knew about their changes. Lucy told her everything, after all.

Gray sighed. "There's something... different." Lucy was still just as confused, so he continued. "Since I kind of... moved in? I don't know. There's something off about you or me or the apartment and I can't really figure out what it is."

Gray was ungracefully rambling now, and he silently cursed how flustered she could make him. "I just wanna know what changed."

Lucy looked even more confused, before realization crossed her features. She started laugh, a full grinning laugh, and Gray's stomach flipped.

"Gray," she laughed. "I started wearing the perfume you got me."

Gray's eyes widened, and Levy giggled. Without thinking about their audience, he grabbed Lucy's arms and brought her closer, taking a long, deep breath.

Gray laughed too. Everything made sense.

"Sorry," he murmured, kissing her temple.

Lucy blushed, taking a small step back as they realized all eyes were on them.

"No problem."