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Worth The Wait	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 4054 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

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Worth the Wait

a Fairy Tail fanfic

by Rhov
Winter, X783
They had been teamed up by force. When Makarov ordered a mage to go on a specific assignment, it was pointless to argue. Gray was not all too impressed with the tired-looking playboy, nor was Loke too keen on having a seventeen-year-old stripper stealing all the girls away with his flawless pale skin and firm abs. So they agreed, for this trip only, Gray would try to keep his clothes on and Loke would refrain from flirting. Both just wanted to get the mission over with so they could return to their normal habits. Yet as they rode a train and listened to the clack-click-clack of the rails with the gentle sway of the train car, both realized something odd about their partner.
"This is surprising," Loke finally spoke. "You've gone half a day without removing more than your coat."
"I'm the one surprised," the raven-haired teen muttered as he stared out the window. "The waitress that just came by was rather cute, yet you turned down buying drinks from her."
Loke knew he was right. He had barely even looked at the lady with her clattering cart of beverages. For whatever reason, his focus had settled onto the mage in front of him.
He tried to think back to the first time he met Gray. It was nearly two years ago. The fifteen-year-old boy had been a lot shorter back then, still settling into his newly-cracked voice, yet just as eager to fight Natsu. Just some brat with a bit of magic, he thought. Loke joined Fairy Tail to make money in this world he was trapped in. He had no need to make friends, not when he knew his time was limited. So he kept around girls he could trade in every week, and he only casually talked to other guild members. He decided to lessen his contact with the younger generation who might be affected worse when his time was up and he had to leave. That was why he was not too keen on being teamed up with Gray now. Yet he saw something in those blue eyes that shocked him.
Loneliness.
This teen had lost his family, and although Loke did not know what darkness haunted his past, it was obvious from the serious gaze that it was something he had not come to terms with yet. Not like Loke could face his own demons!
The mission was to rescue the daughter of a rich man who got lost in the mountains. Gray had grown up around this area, so he was picked because he knew the terrain. All anyone knew was that the girl was in a cave which extinguished all flames and shorted out all electronics, so a flashlight or torch could not be used. That was where Loke's light magic came in handy. Otherwise, it was a simple mission.
They arrived in early December, a horrible time to be up in the mountains. Loke pulled his fur-lined hood up, but Gray looked unaffected by the icy wind that slashed their faces with sharp snowflakes. Gray took the lead, knowing the path without needing a guide. Loke tried to ignore his shivering and followed. It took a few hours to reach the cave. Purple moss grew on the walls. Sure enough, the lantern Loke had taken with him to see through the blizzard winked out as soon as they stepped inside.
"This must be the moss Master was talking about," Loke realized, about to poke some spongy purple mass.
"Don't touch it!" Gray shouted. "It's called flamesbane. It can also be poisonous."
"You know a lot about this place."
"I grew up in a village that used to be around here," Gray said so softly, Loke could barely hear him over the wind whistling past the lip of the cave like a giant playing a flute. "I used to play in the caves near our home. We could never enter the caves where flamesbane grew." He laughed softly. "I always wanted to take Natsu here just to watch him flail about helplessly."
Loke smirked at the mischievous gleam in the teen's blue eyes. Then he lifted his hand, and a golden light illuminated from his ring. They began traveling forward, calling for the girl. Luckily, she was not too badly hurt, mostly just scared and starved. Gray knelt beside her and made sure she had not eaten any of the moss. He gave her a granola bar he had in his pack and some water. She was small and weak, so he removed his white coat, wrapped the child up in it, lifted her into his arms, and carried her out. When they reached the lip of the cave, Loke offered to take her.
"I'm fine," Gray assured. "If we're attacked, your magic would be better suited here."
"But you'll freeze."
Gray barked a wry laugh. "I used to train in blizzards naked. That's where I got my bad habit." Loke saw the boy's eyes lower sadly. "She'd take us up here, strip out of her own clothes, then order us to do the same. Embrace the cold! Before winter was over, I learned to stop shivering."
Loke was impressed to say the least. Not just about his training, but the loyalty in his words, the love in his voice, such deep sadness in his eyes.
This was no normal bratty little teenager.
Sure enough, they met mountain bandits on the way back, but they were not much trouble. Not a single one knew magic, and Loke managed to take on all ten by himself while Gray shielded the girl from their attacks. Gray watched his partner. He did not know much about Loke, although he had been in Fairy Tail for about two years. He did not completely understand the Ring Magic he used. It looked so different from the Cards Magic he saw Cana use. Plus it wasn't just about magic. Loke fought with a certain grace that was almost hypnotic. No move was extraneous, each kick and punch had power and fluid motion. Gray was disappointed when the last bandit fell. He wanted to watch Loke fight just a little bit longer.
They went down the mountain without further trouble besides the strong winds and pelting snow. With the mission over, they collected the reward money and decided to stay the night in the village, since the trains stopped running due to the blizzard. They rented a room with two beds. Gray dropped off to sleep right after eating, but Loke was not at all sleepy. Tired, yes, but never sleep. He sat at the window, staring into the dark night, wishing he could at least look at the stars.
"Ur," Gray groaned in his sleep.
Loke looked over to the bed and saw the boy fidgeting in a nightmare. He realized it must be hard for Gray to return to his homeland after so long. He knew better than to ask what happened, what drove him out of his home, away from his teacher, as far south as Magnolia.
"Lyon, no," Gray moaned again.
Loke sighed. Perhaps it was better to wake him so he would not be tortured with nightmares. He stood and quietly walked over to the bed. Gray fought against the sheets. His teeth were gritted into a rictus grimace of fury.
"Hey, wake up," Loke said softly.
"Ur, stop!" Gray yelled, swinging his head in protest.
Loke shook him. "Wake up!"
Gray bolted up. "Noooo!" He panted hard and fast, eyes wide in a vision of terror. Slowly, he saw it was over and looked around at the strange surroundings. He saw Loke beside him with a concerned face half hidden by his blue shades.
What happened next surprised them both...eventually. Gray threw himself into Loke's arms. His green eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he had no clue what to do. Then he felt trembling. This teen who could walk through a winter blizzard without a single shiver was now shaking with terror in his arms. A protective side to Loke sprang up, his eyes softened plaintively, and he wrapped his arms around Gray's bare shoulders.
"She did it...to save us," Gray sobbed.
Loke had an idea what he meant. He knew what self-sacrifice was like. He wondered for a moment what Aries thought, knowing he unwittingly sacrificed himself to free her from Karen Lilica. "She must have loved you deeply," he whispered in a soothing tone. "It means she was a good teacher. You were lucky to have her there to guide you, if only for a little while."
"But it was my fault," he cried.
"No," Loke said with assurance, stroking Gray's hair. He did not know the circumstances, but he understood perfectly. "She did it out of love."
"But if I hadn't gone, if I had just waited like she said...it was all my..." He pulled back as he thought he heard something. "What was that?"
Loke tilted his head in confusion.
Gray blushed and laughed a little in nervousness. "Sounds crazy but, well, it almost sounded like you were...purring."
Now it was Loke who blushed. Those lion instincts must have come too close to the surface. "Maybe I'm getting a chest cold," he muttered.
"Ah, it must have been spores from the flamesbane. I brought medicine for that. You need to treat it fast or you'll truly get sick."
Gray lit a lamp and rummaged through his pack. Loke opened his mouth to protest, but he had no other way of explaining his momentary purring. Gray grinned when he pulled up a stone jar. Loke decided the teen looked too eager to help, and it would take his mind off his nightmare. Giving in to it, he removed his shirt.
"Huh! So that's where your guild mark is," Gray muttered, staring at Loke's back. "I always wondered." Loke reached out for the jar, but Gray shook his head. "You have to rub it on just right or it stings. It also needs to be instantly frozen, then quickly shattered. Actually, it's the sort of medicine only an ice mage can use. Regular doctors use a different type, but this one reacts faster. Just lay back. I'll do it."
Loke reclined on the bed, and Gray began to rub the cream carefully onto the man's chest. The smell was surprisingly pleasant, and Loke began to relax.
"Hey, uh, Loke?" Gray muttered. "The S-Class trial is coming up. Are you trying for it this year?"
"Nah, I don't think so," he decided. "I've been feeling weaker lately." He laughed softly at the irony. "Maybe I'm getting old."
"How old are you?"
He turned his eyes over to the curious boy. "How old do I look?"
Gray shrugged and capped the jar. "Twenty? No more than twenty-five, I'd say. I'm not good at guessing ages."
"Well, I'm honored you think I look so young," Loke chuckled.
Gray spread his hands out just an inch above Loke's chest. Ice formed right over the layer of cream. Loke shivered at the chill, but it activated something hot in the cream that instantly soothed him. Then Gray stopped the freeze and the ice shattered. The cream fell away with it, leaving behind the tingling warmth.
"That's some neat stuff," Loke admired.
"Feeling better?"
"No more rumbles in my chest," he smirked.
Gray cleaned up the frozen cream, but his mind was elsewhere. "Hey Loke...the S-Class trial, do you think I could make it?"
"Erza did when she was younger than you, so sure, a kid like you could make it."
"A kid like me," he muttered, looking disappointed. "Do you think Natsu could make it?"
"Honestly? He's strong, but he's too immature."
"Am I?"
"You're filled with questions tonight," Loke chuckled, shrugging his shirt back on but not bothering to button it. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. I'm not exactly the best person to judge maturity," he said with a cocky grin.
"If I'm picked," he said, tugging on the edge of his pajama pants nervously, "do you think, maybe...would you be my partner?"
Loke arched an eyebrow. "Well, I'm honored, but why me?"
Still looking down, Gray gave a light shrug. "Who else can I ask? Erza and Mira are already S-Class, so I can't ask them. Cana is like a permanent installation to the entire S-Class trial system. No way in hell am I asking Natsu. Elfman...I dunno, after Lisanna died, he changed too much. I'd ask Alzack, except he's always with Bisca. The Raijinshū don't hang out with anyone but each other. The others are too weak. You're pretty strong, though. I saw you fight those bandits. Ten against one, yet you looked bored fighting them. I want someone strong like that, and for the S-Class trial, it's not just magic power that counts, but physical stamina. Besides," he chuckled, "when you aren't chasing skirts, you're not that bad of a guy."
"You're rather decent yourself when you aren't fighting Natsu or stripping...which you're doing again," he pointed out.
"We're in private, so I'm allowed to," he decided, yanking his pants off.
Loke decided...he didn't really mind if Gray stripped or not!

End of Chapter 1
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Worth The Wait