GrayLu Week 2017

Trace

GrayLu Week 2017: Trace

.

He could look back and see his path clearly.

Gray could focus and think to before he ever loved her, and he could pinpoint every single decision he made to make it to where he was right now. Lucy was writing purposefully at her desk as her ideas unfolded before her, her eyes floating from word to word as the story went from her brain to her arm to her pen. Her brow furrowed as she searched for the right phrase, the right emphasis, anything to create the energy she so desired. His eyes took in every bit of her; he found solace.

"Gray, please stop staring," Lucy would say. He would smile and nod and go back to what he'd been doing. She hated when he watched her write. She said it made her uneasy.

"You're just radiant," he told her absently. She blushed, and he smiled. Gray was hardly one for mincing words.

His eyes always seemed to trail back to her, no matter where they seemed to start, or how often he tore them away. After all, why would he want to tear them away? She was absolutely glowing.

It was raining, and it had been for a few days. Gray watched the droplets run down the glass window, his fingers tracing the lines they made and the paths they took. He remembered finding her in a pub on a rainy day almost a year ago, watching her struggle with writers block. He remembered kissing her in the rain and every moment since, he'd longed to kiss her more.

"Hey, Lucy?" Gray spoke, his mind wandering. She didn't answer him at first, and he turned to look at her, seeing she was lost in her world. He couldn't help but feel his chest swell with some fond feeling he didn't think he'd every get used to. Gray decided it was best not to bother her now, and he turned his attention back to the window.

He remembered climbing through the window on dark nights when his mind seemed shattered. Lucy was always so open to him, her kindness giving him the strength to be what she needed. He didn't quite remember exactly when he started taking her into consideration with everything he did. Nothing in their relationship was ever clear or concise; they loved each other, and that was the only thing either of them were really sure about. But Gray felt secure.

Lucy was humming quietly while she thought. Gray looked back at her, seeing her drag her pen across her bottom lip. Some things just stick with you. Lucy was one of those things. He suddenly couldn't breathe; he needed to talk to her.

"Hey, Luce."

The blonde looked up, tilting her head at him. His firm tone made her stop. Gray was always serious, but Lucy had learned the difference in their time together between his normal mindset and a different disposition, and she prided herself on being able to read someone who was always putting up a front of being pretty cold and indifferent.

Gray motioned for her to come closer, and she did, without even thinking. "What's wrong?" she asked, feeling his hands reach out and pull her to his lap. The somewhat odd display of affection raised alarm in her head. "Gray, you're scaring me."

Gray didn't say anything, just adjusted the way she sat so he could look at her while they talked. Lucy was afraid, and he sensed this somewhat, his fingers slipping up the back of her shirt to trace lines on her back. He struggled with his words.

"How long have we been..." Gray paused, because saying 'dating' felt wrong, because it wasn't dating in the traditional sense. In truth, they had never really dated at all; they were just suddenly together. He started again. "Uh, how long have we been with each other?"

Lucy thought. "I'm not sure," she told him. "A while."

Gray nodded, and he fell silent for another moment, collecting his thoughts. Lucy felt panic rise in her throat. "Are you leaving me?" she asked quietly, a deep fear beginning to take over her body. Gray's eyes widened, and his grip instinctively got tighter.

"No!" he spoke, maybe a bit too forcefully. "God, no, Lucy. I'm not going anywhere."

Lucy nodded, taking a moment to let her muscles relax again. "Then what's going on?" she asked, nervously playing with her hair. Gray let out a breath, feeling frustrated he couldn't make his mouth and brain work together to talk.

"So this is gonna sound dumb," Gray finally managed. "But I've been thinking a lot about how I haven't... how we haven't... exactly been official."

Lucy laughed quietly. "Gray," she smiled. "We don't have to be official for me to know you love me."

Gray shrugged, his unease apparent in the unsure way he moved. "I just think it's silly that most of the guild has no idea about us."

A small silence stretched between them. Lucy was contemplating the concept, and realized he was right; the guild was a family, after all. It seemed strange for almost all of Fairytale to be in the dark about such an important thing to both of them.

Gray cleared his throat. "So, this is lame," he blushed. "But, Lucy?"

"Yes Gray?"

He smiled slightly. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Lucy was silent, before laughing. She held his hand in her own.

"I don't know, let me think about it."