Wow okay so I found this deep in my archive on Tumblr and realized I never posted it here? Well anyways here you guys go! This is from like December so my writing is a bit different here, but hope you enjoy it anyways!

Tick.

"I'm fine. I am."

Tock.

"Do you really mean that?"

Tick.

Gray stared at his blonde hair friend with narrowed and disbelieving eyes. The room was quiet, with only the sound of Lucy's clock in the background. Her shoulders were tense and she was avoiding his eyes while twisting her wrist in her hand. Gray had been friends with Lucy for a long time now, and even if he wasn't he would be able to tell that she was lying to him.

"Yes, I do."

"Lucy." He replied firmly, fixing her with a look that said to drop the act and tell the truth.

Huffing, Lucy crossed her arms and stared him straight in the eyes, clearly annoyed.

"No Gray, I'm not fine. I haven't been for a while and I probably won't be. You asking me all the goddamn time isn't going to change that and I just wished you'd go back to being my friend who stayed out of my business."

Dropping his gaze, Gray ran a hand threw his hair, giving up. "Fine, I'm sorry I care Lucy. I'll see you later."

Getting up, Gray grabbed his coat and headed out of her apartment, tempted to slam her door out of frustration.

He needed a drink.

—

"Hey Mira, the usual please." Taking his favourite spot at the local pub, Gray couldn't stop worrying about Lucy. She had been holed up in her apartment for a few weeks now, only leaving to get food and to make certain appearances so people wouldn't worry, but that was it. She had a rough few months, her dad passed away and she had a really bad breakup with some loser scum named Dan.

Gray got a few good punches in.

But now it was almost Christmas, and he knew how much Lucy loved the season and he didn't want her to be miserable and alone. And their friends were starting to notice.

"Here you go," sliding his drink to him, Mira looked at him with concern, "everything okay?"

Taking a swing of the drink, he shook his head.

"Is it Lucy?"

"Yeah, she's still having a hard time, but she won't let anyone in to help. I'm worried."

Nodding, Mira started to pour him another drink, since he downed the first one. "At least you're trying Gray. She just needs more time."

He thanked her for the drink, and she went on to serve more customers. He thought Lucy had enough time already, enough to at least talk to him.

He took another drink, frustration starting to get the better of him.

It didn't help his nerves that Juvia was starting to get really jealous of the amount of time he's been spending with Lucy.

"Hey man, you okay?"

Turing towards the voice, Gray spotted a pink haired man, looking at him with squinty eyes and, in his opinion, a stupid look on his face.

"What's it to you?" he snapped, not wanting to tell a stranger about his friend and her problems.

Looking affronted, the stranger put up his hands in surrender. "Sorry man, you just look super pissed and didn't want ya going round picking a fight with some stranger."

"You're some stranger," Gray pointed out. Was this guy serious?

"Oh, right." The man laughed, "well at least if ya fight me I can take ya."

Gray quirked a brow, "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you."

The pink haired man cackled, then stuck out a hand, "well we'll have to see someday. I'm Natsu, nice to meet ya."

Gray shook his hand, still unsure what to think of Natsu. "Gray."

—

Natsu knew there was a reason he starting talking to the droopy eyed man who looked like he was ready to kill when his friend came to pick him up.

"Gray, seriously?" she scolded as she walked up to the duo, and Natsu couldn't help but stare. "Explain to me why you couldn't get Juvia to pick you up, because it better be a damn good reason."

Natsu saw Gray talk, but he didn't hear a word that came out, still stunned by the blonde in front of him.

And apparently she noticed.

"Um, could you please stop staring at me?"

Gray turned and glared at him. Apparently he was protective.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, "I didn't mean too! You're just gorgeous." Oh, shit. Did he really just blurt that out?

"Uh, thanks." Looking uncomfortable, she grabbed Gray and waved to the barmaid, leaving.

Natsu just stared out the door, a slight blush on his face out of embarrassment.

"Her name is Lucy." Turning around, he saw the barmaid smirking at him, before going off to clean glasses.

Lucy.

With a small smile, Natsu left the bar and headed home, her name playing over and over again in his head.

—

Natsu sat at his regular seat in the pub, having been coming here regularly for about a month now. Mira made the best food, and he really didn't know how to cook.

"Hey Natsu, the regular?"

"Yeah, thanks Mira."

Looking around, Natsu recognized a few people, waving at a few of them, but not seeing the people he really wanted to.

Gray had only been back a few times since that first time he met him, though Natsu suspected they just came at different times. It wasn't really Gray who he wanted to see anyways.

Sighing, he rested his cheek on his hand, waiting for his food in slight disappointment. He couldn't get Lucy off his mind, even though he only met her for about two minutes.

"Hey Mira, can I get a strawberry milkshake please?"

Natsu started at the voice, recognizing it as he had been playing it over and over again in his head for the past month.

"Lucy!" Mira exclaimed, slightly shocked from seeing her friend sitting so casually at the bar. "Sure, coming right up!"

Natsu turned to the blonde, eyes wide.

She turned to him, looking confused at first but then recognition light up in her eyes.

"Oh, you're Natsu right?"

Holy shit, he thought, she remembers me.

"Uh yep! I don't know if you remember but uh, sorry for staring and everything a few weeks ago. Not my best moment." He rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks dusted pink as he avoided her eyes.

She laughed, saying not to worry because Gray said he was a pretty good guy and holy hell, Natsu didn't know what to do. He never had this much trouble talking with girls before, mostly because he never particularly cared for them in the romantic sense but Lucy, well she was something different.

But then he remember that Gray said Lucy had been going through some pretty difficult things, though he didn't say what exactly, and suddenly Natsu could look at her like a person and not like an angel who was perfect with no flaws.

Because she was human and Natsu knew how to deal with humans.

"Well in any case, I did mean what I said," he grinned, showing off his teeth, "you really are beautiful."

Lucy blushed, swiping a strand on hair behind her ear, "thank you."

"So," she began after taking a sip of her milkshake, "why is your hair pink?"

And that was how their friendship began.