Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Stellar Mistakes
By : Rhov
Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail
Views: 14748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor do I make money from this fanfic.
Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
A/N: I'm amused by how many people have played the otome that inspired this story. They'll realize, this side arc was not in the game. Many readers wanted to see more about the other teammates, and I had many ideas about what the commercial could have been like — something that's completely left out of that storyline of the game — so I'm adding in a bit extra.
I was inspired by a recent opportunity I had to be an extra in the upcoming season of "Documentary Now." One episode is about a musical, and I'm a member of the orchestra. It was exciting to see how things work behind the camera, getting to see these hardworking talented actors hard at work, and the way comedy and slapstick is planned for optimal laughs. It was hard NOT to laugh at them. When the new season comes out, in the episode about a musical studio recording, look for the French horn lady (there were 3 of us) wearing all black with a bun on top of her head, and that's me. They used me for a few closeups, although mostly I'm a blur in the background. ^_^
Chapter 32
Filming Days
Finally, it was filming time. Lucy went to the studio early to meet with Millianna of Mermaid Heel and to set up her storyboards. Gray arrived not long after. As the copywriter, it was important to him that each line be delivered to evoke the right emotion. He nodded professionally to Lucy as they both kept out of the way of the set crew. They met with the actors and the director, who was glad to have them there to help guide her on the path of their vision.
Every person there knew this was one of the most important jobs they would ever work on. They had all heard about Fairy Tail's budget being slashed, so they were eager to work twice as hard, seeing this as a golden opportunity to finally make a name for themselves.
So although these were not big-name actors, although their portfolios were thin, Lucy was glad to see each one so eager to make this perfect. There were no divas in this studio, no one trying to tell her what she should really do, or men trying to explain her job to her since she was just a woman. Mermaid Heel was made up of all women, focused and determined to make the greatest commercial Fiore had ever seen.
Still, many were new to the job, and Lucy felt like she had more work to do than normal.
"No, we need lighting over here. Yes … wait, wait. Madame Director, the old man needs to wait until the nurses in the background are cheering, and then he smiles. Right, his grandson lands the jump, they all cheer, and then the grandfather looks proud. There needs to be that moment of awe just before the smile, as a sport he thought was silly becomes something to make the family proud. Yes, thank you for working with me."
Gray was also busy coaching the actors on their lines. Lucy glanced over to watch him, glad to see that he also had a very specific vision. She had storyboarded this little tale they were presenting, but Gray had written the dialogue the audience would hear.
After that first day, everyone felt like something amazing had just happened. Although hard work, they could all sense that this commercial was special.
"Did you see the storyboards for the soldier overseas? It gave me chills just reading it. I sort of want to find out where they'll be filming that and go watch."
"I saw the whole script. There's a scene of the GMG participant after the Games are over."
"Oh my gosh, the grave scene? I sobbed!"
"He hangs his medallion up on his father's tomb, his whole team is behind him, then they all salute, and you see that his father died in the war."
"This is going to make my mother cry," one actress declared. "We lost my dad in the war. She's going to break down in tears."
"Oh, I'm crying already just thinking about it. This is going to be the best commercial in history."
"And to think, we're going to be a part of it."
Lucy was excited to hear all of their comments and praises. Although she had not meant for the commercial to be sad, per se, it definitely touched on some socially sensitive things: making elders proud, the innocent awe of children, being there to comfort a loved one when they fail, and celebrating with them when they win, even if you cannot be there personally.
The grave scene was her own personal addition, as she thought about how proud her mother in heaven would be if—no, when—they won this account.
Gray came up to her and patted Lucy on the back. "Good work today. I don't know about you, but I could use some food. Would you like to get a bite to eat before we head back to Magnolia?"
"Sure," she said right away. Her stomach had been growling for over an hour.
It was only after they were walking to a nearby restaurant that Lucy thought about what Cana had said, that Gray had a crush on her. She already knew he was mildly interested, he had practically asked her out once already, so she wondered if he would do anything.
However, he was perfectly professional that day. They talked about the filming and the scenes coming up the next day. They were going to go on location, and that meant driving.
"I'm not sure if I can make the grave scene, to be honest," Lucy said, looking down at her plate. That had been her most private scene in this commercial, so she hated to miss it. "Mermaid Heel scouted out the perfect location, but no buses go near it."
"I can drive you," Gray offered. "I have a car; it's not a big deal for me to pick you up in the morning. I just need your phone number and address."
Lucy sighed in relief. "That'd be great. I really wanted to be there, especially for this one scene."
"It's the saddest scene," he said, looking concerned. "Why would you want to be there so badly?"
Lucy sipped some wine and looked around. They were on a deck that overlooked a city park, and although the sun was setting, they could see many people out walking dogs. It was a peaceful view, and she understood why Millianna had highly recommended the place.
"My mother," she whispered. "She died when I was a child. Part of the reason I got into storyboarding for advertisements was a commercial Mr. Leo made about the observatory."
"The mother taking her daughter?" he asked.
She jolted up. "Yes! Wait, you know that one?"
"It really touched my heart. You see, I lost my mom and dad when I was a kid."
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," she cried out.
"Nah, I guess we're in the same boat on that one," he said, waving off her concern but smiling to receive it. "The way that mother looked at her child in that commercial—the actors, the music, the timing—all of it was aimed to hit people like you and me, people who have fond memories of loved ones and wish they could pass on those feelings. That's one thing I'll give to Mr. Leo. He can grab you by the heartstrings and dredge up the most primal emotions." Gray looked across the table at her. "You're the same as him."
Lucy gulped hard. "We're … the same?" She remembered Loke saying that once before.
—
"We're the same, aren't we? When I look at you, it's like I'm looking at my younger self."
—
"You have the same talent, the same ability to connect. It's like you bridge a gap between the television and the watcher. You open a gate and pull that person into your reality, making them go on an emotional journey with you. When the commercial ends, the watcher is left stunned, feeling like they just lived out a whole story in thirty seconds."
"Opening a gate, huh?" she mused.
"That's quite a rare talent," Gray praised, and he smiled as he sipped his iced coffee while gazing at her. "You're quite a unique woman, Lucy."
She blushed and looked aside. What could she even say to praise that bordered on flirting?
"Sorry if that was awkward," he muttered, and Gray pulled himself out of whatever he had been thinking. "If you want, I'll take you home today, so I'll know the way for tomorrow. It'll save you some money on train fare."
"That'd be great," she said. Despite the awkwardness just a moment earlier, she was honestly glad for his offer. Taking the train home from Mermaid Heel would take two hours longer than having someone drive her.
Gray smiled and his shoulders sank, almost as if he was deeply relieved by her answer.
Just then, the waitress came by. "How are we doing the bill today?"
Before Lucy could answer, Gray quickly said, "It'll be on my card." Lucy's mouth dropped, but he grinned at her. "You can get the next one."
Gray paid, and he showed her the way to where he had parked his truck. Traffic was bad at rush hour, but Gray listened to music the whole time, barely speaking, tapping his fingers to the rhythm of the songs. When they got into Magnolia, Lucy gave him directions to her apartment, and he dropped her off out front.
"I'll be by around eight," he said. "To pay me back, you buy the coffee."
Lucy knew that was not fair. Her dinner had been far more expensive than any cup of coffee, but she figured Gray was just being nice. They waved goodbye, and he stayed around until she went inside her apartment. Then she heard his truck rumble down the road.
Lucy went up to her room. As she opened the door, Plue leaped up in excitement, making his weird pu-puun barking noises, happy to see her home so early. She smiled and sat on the couch with the small dog on her lap.
"What do you think, Plue?" she muttered. "Gray's really nice, but he's still a team member. He's not my superior though, so if we wanted to … I don't know," she sighed. "He might not even be interested, or serious about it. He might want nothing more than a hookup, and I don't want to go through that again." She stroked Plue's head. "Is it so hard to find a guy who just wants romance?"
- 31
- 32
- 33
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Stellar Mistakes	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 14748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor do I make money from this fanfic.

Stellar Mistakes