HAPPY GRALU WEEK!

WEIRDO BLABBS: I really miss the Starstruck universe so I thought, why not write about it? This is a bit late because I got caught up in a LOT of stuff. I'm sorry. I hope you will like this, though. Quick writing, about one-or-so-hours distributed throughout the whole day.

GRALU WEEK ENTRY #5 (Prompt: Smile)

DAMN

From: LH
11:57PM
Heeeey, senpai. Are you heading home?

To: LH
11:57PM
Yea

From: LH
11:58PM
Okay. Should I wait for you...? :)

To: LH
11:59PM
Dont. Tired.

From: LH
11:59PM
Oh... Hurry home! :) :) :)

It had been a hard week for Gray. Every day was packed with schedules, countless variety show appearances, numerous interviews, recordings, meetings, and travels. At the peak of his career, it seemed like the world demanded a lot from Fairy Tail's leader, Gray Fullbuster.

What they didn't know was that now, as he watched the streaks of light that still shone near midnight in Magnolia, he could only wish for a good night's rest. He was tired and he felt like his body was going to give in any moment. Plus, he had a migraine since the day before, probably because of the stress. He was totally spent.

Haruka, his new manager, drove past the traffic at a snail's pace. He, too, was tired; being a personal assistant and manager to Magnolia's number one idol was taxing. It showed even on the face of the usually-stoic Haru.

"For tomorrow, you have the day and the afternoon off but in the evening, you have a variety show to attend with Natsu and Gajeel."

Gray only grunted. He couldn't really make much out of Haru's words but he heard 'show', 'Natsu', and 'Gajeel', so it was probably job-related. He slunk back on the passenger seat and shielded his eyes from the bright lights. They were usually pretty, but when you get exposed to the spotlight for a whole week, it makes you nauseous. You find yourself wanting to hide from it.

"I know you're tired, but..." his manager's voice trailed off. Gray didn't get much from it.

"You're tired as well," he answered on a whim. "Planning on resting the whole day tomorrow?"

"I have to do some rearrangements to your schedule for the next three months but after that, yeah... I'll probably be resting." The car moved forward when the lights turned green. Haru immediately followed the lead of the other cars and overtook them. He made an excellent driver.

"Your job is seriously hard. Do you and Kira still have time to, you know...?"

Haru was quiet for a while. He had always been touchy on conversations about Kira. "We're not in a relationship."

"Good for you," Gray answered. "'Cause if you were, you'd be fighting fatigue and a migraine just to go and see her as well."

He was, of course, talking about Lucy, his girlfriend. They could only have dates inside their respective homes but it was one of the downsides to having the life of an idol: even if your girlfriend lives right next to you, you can rarely see her outside because of the paparazzi and who-knows-what-else.

He and Lucy never had an outside date after they officially started going out.

Ah, I want to see her, he thought. He tried raising his hand to see if he had enough strength to hug her if they saw each other but his limbs were useless. He would probably only have enough strength to walk to his door from the elevator. And besides, she's probably sleeping now, anyway.

"Get some sleep," Haru said, "I'll wake you up when we get to your building."

He grunted again. Gray felt his heavy eyelids close, no longer able to fight the temptation. His shoulders relaxed and his temples and crown throbbed as he started to drift off to sleep. The colors blurred, the sounds muted, and pretty soon, he was numb to the rest of the world.

Haru woke him up twenty minutes later (it felt like hours to Gray) when he stopped the car in front of the elevator in the building's basement.

"Gray, we're here. Wake up."

He opened his eyes instantly and sat up. The sudden movement made him dizzy and he had to sit steady for a while before he got out of the car. "Thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll come pick you up," Haru replied. Gray couldn't help but notice that Haru was blinking a lot. Probably sleepy. Well, he has also been working hard. There bags under his eyes.

Haru closed the door. But before his manager could speed off again, Gray knocked on the tinted window of the car and it slid down instantaneously.

"What?" asked Haruka.

"Can I take a look at my schedule book?" Gray asked.

"Why?"

"I just want to know what I have for the next few... years?"

Haru chuckled; and he so rarely chuckled that Gray thought he was hallucinating. From the inside pocket of his jacket, Haru took out a thick leather-bound booklet. Gray took it, pretended to scan and check, before he hid it away at the back of his pants pocket.

"I'll keep this for tonight."

"What—?!" Haruka exclaimed, surprised. Ah, such a pleasure to be able to get a reaction from the usually one-faced man.

"Get some sleep. Let's not work for tonight," he said.

Haru's face was stoic once again. Then, he took out another leather-bound book from his coat.

"What—?!" It was Gray's turn. "Is that...?"

"It's a separate schedule book, of course." Who keeps two copies of a schedule book?! "I have two copies, just in case one gets lost or falls into the wrong hands."

Indeed, a super manager.

"But... I just want you to rest..."

Haru slammed the notebook shut and looked at Gray. "Was that a request?"

"Huh?"

"Was that a request?" he repeated. "From an idol to his manager?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess...?"

Haru smiled. "Okay. If it's a request, I'll do it."

Gray smiled weakly. "Okay. Oh, and call Kira. Tell her I want a private script reading session with her."

"No."

"It's another request."

Haru sighed. "Fine. I'll call her tomorrow."

"No, right now," he asserted.

"Wait, Gray—"

"Good night!"

Before Haru could speak any further, Gray turned his back, quietly snickering. When he heard the car revving to life and driving away, he stopped.

Those last two steps drained him. He felt like a dried vegetable.

With much difficulty, he dragged his heavy feet toward the elevator. He reverted to his tired state now, feeling his whole body fail him due to fatigue. The steady drumming on his temples was getting stronger and he was sure he had a split-second sleep when he blinked as soon as the elevator door had closed. He leaned on the wall, waiting for the elevator to reach his floor. Fortunately, nobody ever goes to use the elevator at that time and he wouldn't have to put up a facade. He slowly slid to the floor, heaving a tired sigh when he felt his legs relax a bit. It was surprisingly pleasant to be sitting in that empty elevator. Well, he wouldn't mind sleeping there for a few minutes. It would give him a bit more strength to carry himself to his flat.

He closed his eyes, ready to sleep, but as if the gods were mocking him, the elevator door pinged open on his floor. He stared at it for what seemed like forever before groaning, defeated. Reluctantly, he hoisted himself up. He felt his strength gauge drop and as soon as he got out of the elevator, he leaned on the walls of the building as he walked. If people saw him, they would probably think he was either high or drunk.

Gray stopped in front of Lucy's flat, wondering if he should go in. But then he thought against it because he didn't feel he would be any good a company in his sorry state.

He sighed again. And I wanted to see her so bad.

He unlocked the door to his unit and sluggishly entered. He walked listlessly past the receiving area and the kitchen; Gray was about go up the stairs to his room when his dulled reflexes reacted...

There was someone on his couch!

He looked back, and there was Lucy, sleeping soundly. Although he was happy (he did want to see her), he was too tired to even get his facial muscles to react. He slowly approached the girl and sat on the floor, facing her.

"Lucy... Lucy wake up." She didn't stir. And he was too tired to shake her. "Lucy... I don't have the strength or conviction to carry you to your room, you know?"

Gray rested his head on the couch, close to Lucy's face. A small smile crept up to his face and he closed his eyes. Yeah, he could sleep like this now.

"Senpai...?" a tired voice said. He opened his eyes and what he saw were the most beautiful set of eyes he ever saw, the color of chocolate.

Lucy sat up straight and yawned. "Welcome back," Lucy said.

He sat up and, barely able to open his eyes, replied, "I'm home... Sorry you had to wait for me."

And then she smiled.

It was one of those smiles that could have shamed the sunniest of days. It was so bright, so positive, so full of life that his eyes widened. And he smiled as well. Suddenly, with just one smile he felt all of that fatigue and all of that worry, all the aching of his muscles slip away from his consciousness. His migraine was gone. Suddenly, he was recharged. Like he'd had a full night's sleep.

"Ah, damn!" he said and reached up to wrap his arms around Lucy. He whispered, "Damn."

"Eh? Eh?!" Lucy exclaimed. Though still not as proactive as he wished her to be, Lucy was at least a little bit more open about their relationship now. "What are you doing?!"

She was obviously flustered but she didn't brush him off, as she would have done four years ago when they first started dating. He smiled.

"Damn," he repeated again.

"What happened?" she asked him.

"I was just wondering if you really are human."

"What kind of question is that?"

"Are you sure you're not some witch doctor who slipped a love potion in one of my drinks?"

She went quiet. He felt her heartbeat racing. "I would have slipped poison instead," she answered. "Get off."

"In a while," he said. "Just let me recharge a bit more."

She sighed. "You're really tired, huh?"

"Dead tired," he groaned and hugged her tighter.

"Hey, please sleep on the bed. How many times should I remind you of that?" she said. She pulled away and grabbed his lifeless arms. "Come on."

She practically dragged him up the stairs, because his legs would no longer cooperate; his brain seemed to have temporarily frozen in fatigue. Lucy was right, he should probably sleep.

When Lucy opened the door of his room for him, a gentle scent of chamomile tickled his nose.

"What the...?" he whispered in shock.

"I placed scented candles and incense sticks inside. It's very relaxing," she said. "Oh, but it's a bit cold."

"It's... alright," he said when he sat on the side on his bed. "What's this for...?"

"Well, you sounded tired so... I wanted to do something for you since we can't seem to get together much."

She smiled again. And he relaxed. Gray removed his shoes but didn't even bother to change. He just quietly lay his tired body on the bed and let the calming scent soothe him.

"Thanks," he said to her. His eyes were getting heavier by the second.

"No problem," she said, smiling. That smile again. And he just thought, Damn! He loved this girl so much.

"Not sleeping here with me?" he asked, half-joking.

He heard her giggle. "Not today, Gray-senpai," she touched his cheek and he surrendered to her gentle caress, "maybe next time."

"...okay..." he replied, half-conscious.

"Good night."

"...night..."

He felt a kiss on his forehead before he couldn't feel anything anymore. And Gray fell into a deep, and restful sleep.

WEIRDO BLABBS AGAIN: I'm obsessing a bit about Hacker Girl pictures. I really like the one where she's crying and holding up a V-sign. Imagine me holding this up right now.

R & R! Happy GraLu Week!

Other GraLu fanfictions by this author:

-Another Shot at Love

-Good Taste

-Massage?

-Starstruck!

-Starstruck! Encore

-Going, Going, Gone

-The Simple Life

-The Ten-Year Myth

-Indecency and Innocence

-Eden

-Breakfast in Bed

If you are interested in my other works not stated above, please go to my FanFiction profile: /~weirdoblabber