This is a One-Shot for luffy fan's writing contest! :)

HATE THE RAIN

It was late afternoon, as I stepped off the train into a sudden torrent of rain, and cursed my seemingly endless string of bad luck. The job I'd been on had gone wrong almost from the very beginning and had continued throughout the entire ordeal. I'd finished the job, albeit taking longer than I'd planned, and then damn near missed my train home. What a freaking disaster. I groaned to myself at the thought of the long trek home.

I didn't mind the cold, of course, but the rain would cause a rather embarrassing chain of events. My clothes would cling to my body, and my damned habit of flinging away constricting clothing would make itself known. Then I'd be walking home stark naked, in the rain, right through the middle of town. It had happened before, and I shuddered at the remembered punishment Master had put me through.

Needless to say, I didn't want to go through that again, but the way out of this mess was completely eluding me. So, like the Fairy Tail mage I was, I set off from the train station, walking swiftly to shave precious moments from my trip. I figured I could head towards the guild; it was a lot closer than my house. Still, the guild was a fair distance away, and I'd no doubt be miserable by the time I arrived. Then the realization hit me. Lucy's place was even closer than the guild. I could be there in another 10 minutes, maybe 8 if I ran the whole way. Perhaps Providence was smiling on me after all.

I picked up my pace, gripping my bag to keep it from slamming into my back, and raced towards the welcome warmth of her apartment. I tried to stay under the roofs and trees that hung sporadically over the street, but it was damn near pointless. By the time Lucy's abode was in sight, my clothes were almost completely soaked through.

I grasped her door, and flung it open, silently thanking the heavens for Lucy's odd habit of forgetting to lock her door. Normally, I would be anything but happy about it, but I found I couldn't complain now. I stepped further into the kitchen, calling out to my friend. I figured she'd be home, as she never seemed to be at the guild on rainy days. I hadn't realized until now that I had no idea why that was. I'd never thought to question it, but now that the idea had planted itself in my mind, I couldn't seem to let it go.

I rounded the corner to her bedroom, still calling her name, and ran right into the person I was looking for. "Oh, sorry, Lu-" I began, before noticing her damp eyes. She'd obviously been crying, and I wondered what had happened. "What's wrong, Lucy?" I asked, as I dropped a hand on her shoulder.

"Gray, what are you doing here?" she questioned, her head tilted. Her eyes drifted down my body, and she sighed, shaking her head, "And why are you half-naked?"

"What?" I said, confused, before looking down to find myself standing there in nothing but my boxers. "How the hell did that happen? I just got here!" I complained loudly, turning around to find my clothing trailing a path from the door. I snatched them up, stalking over to her bathroom to drop the soggy mess into her tub.

Turning around, I found Lucy standing just behind me, a knowing look on her face, holding out a pair of my pants. She said, speaking softly, "I have some of your shirts here too, but I'm sure you'd just take it off in a few minutes anyway."

I grinned at her, saying, "Does seem a little pointless sometimes." I waited for her to smile back, but when she did, it didn't even remotely reach her eyes. Why was she faking? What happened? I wondered again. "What's going on, Lucy?" I asked, watching her as I slipped the pants on over my boxers.

"I'm okay, Gray. Don't worry about it," she mumbled, as she trudged back to the sitting area, and plopped unceremoniously onto the couch.

I watched as she pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and stared out the window. I followed her to the couch, taking a seat beside her, and silently observed her reserved behavior. "You're not okay. Why are you lying to me?" I asked, a bit hurt that she'd brushed me off like that.

She faced me slowly, swallowing hard, her eyes blinking rapidly, before tears began to pour down her cheeks. My eyes went wide, as she dropped her face into her hands and sobbed. I sat frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do, before scooting towards her trembling form. I pulled her close, wrapping her up in a tight hug. She threw her arms around me, and buried her flushed face in my chest.

We said nothing for some time, as I sat there, holding her until her tears tapered off. I figured she'd need a moment, and I wasn't sure what to say anyway, so I waited. Her hand slipped up to wipe the wetness from her cheeks, sniffling slightly.

When she finally spoke, I almost didn't catch it. "S-sorry about that Gray," she stuttered, and began to pull away, shuddering slightly.

I tightened my arms around her, refusing to let go, as I told her, "Don't, Lucy. I can see you're still upset, so just tell me what's wrong. Please."

She relaxed into me again, and I felt another tear fall on my bare chest. "I miss her so much, Gray," she whispered brokenly, "The rain...I hate when it rains."

"Your mom?" I asked, my mind trying to put all the pieces together.

She nodded once, snuggling closer to my side. My heart clenched at the well of grief I felt from her; I knew that feeling well. I could feel an answering depth of sadness within myself. Losing Ur had broken something inside me for a long time, and thinking back on it now, I realized, with a hint of irony, that it had been Lucy who had helped me let go of some the anguish I'd carried with me.

Grateful for the chance to be there for her now, I rested my chin on her head, and murmured gently, "I know you do. Is that why you never come to the guild on rainy days?"

"You noticed that?" she asked, after a brief pause.

"Of course, I noticed, Lucy. I just don't understand what it is about the rain that bothers you so much," I answered, trying to get her to open up more. I wasn't sure how to help her, but I knew I wasn't leaving until she was showing her usual smile. I also knew it wasn't going to be easy or quick, so I figured, I might as well get comfortable. Using my foot to hook the leg of her coffee table, I slid it forward so I could prop my feet up.

She wriggled a bit at my movements, saying, "Sorry. You're probably uncomfortable."

I stilled her attempts at getting up, telling her, "You're fine where you are, Lucy. I was just getting comfortable, okay? Relax."

Her blonde head bobbed as she silently agreed, curling her knees up against my leg. We sat like that, listening to the rain pound on the roof, as I waited for her to begin talking again. Finally, she did, her voice low and sad, "I used to love the rain...before my mom died. She made everything fun, and she always had time for me, no matter what she was doing. I remember when I was little, I loved playing outside, picking flowers, chasing butterflies. It really didn't matter to me, as long I was outside and my mom was with me. Every time it would rain, I'd get so bored. So Mom came up with a way for us to have fun in the house. We'd bake, play games, watch movies. It became our little tradition, and it became my favorite thing to do with her. When she died...I started to hate the rain, because it was all gone. She was gone, and all the good times in the rain were gone with her."

She finished speaking on another wave of tears, and I felt my heart clench at the sound of her sobs. I hated seeing her heart so broken, but I knew there was nothing that could completely take the pain of that loss away. Time could make things easier to handle, but it could never erase that void in her heart. It had been many years before I could think of Ur or my parents without breaking down. Even now, I knew there would always be a piece of my heart that mourned them all; that would never change, but now, at least, thinking of them wasn't as devastating.

I wanted to help Lucy get there, help her find some peace. It was too bad that I wasn't sure exactly how to do that. I couldn't bring her mother back, and I couldn't make it so that Lucy didn't miss her. The only thing I could possibly help with was her issue with the rain, so that's what I'd do. I'd teach her to love the rain again. I'd show her that the good times in the rain didn't have to be gone for good.

"Lucy," I spoke quietly, my lips brushing against her hair, "It's true that you can't have any more of those rainy days with your mom, but that doesn't have to mean it's all over. You can have new, good times in the rain; you can make new memories...with me."

Her cries tapered off, as she looked up at me, stunned. She opened her mouth a few times, before finding the words, "What do you mean?"

I gazed at her tear-stained face and sighed, as I lifted my hand and smoothed a thumb under her eyes. "Let me help you make rainy days good again. Let me be here for you, like you were for me." I told her, as I stared into her brown eyes.

"B-but how? I can't seem to feel anything but sadness when it rains. I don't know how to change that," she said with watery eyes.

"We do all the things you used to do with your mom. Just you and me. We'll do it all. What do you say?" I asked, internally crossing my fingers, hoping she'd give this a chance. I wanted to wipe that bleak look off her face, and even though I couldn't cook at all, and would most likely ruin anything we attempted to bake, I had to try. I thought back to all the times it had rained in the past, and I'd spent my time at the guild, laughing and fighting, with no idea that she was here, alone and heart-broken. It made me so angry at myself for never finding out why she wasn't there.

She sat there, staring at me, before saying a single word, "Okay."

I smiled down at her instantly, as determination filled me. I could almost hear that raging moron yell in my head, 'I'm all fired up!' I pushed the fire ding dong out of my head and concentrated on the task at hand. "So, what do you want to bake?" I asked, praying she would choose something simple that I couldn't possibly mess up with my less than stellar cooking skills.

A tremulous smile graced her lips, and something inside me relaxed, knowing that my presence was making it better for her. Gone was the fake smile, and while this one was far from her normally bright one, it was still far better than when she was pretending. She leaned back and slid from the couch, offering me her hand, and stating plainly, "Cake."

"What kind of cake?" I asked, cringing as I wondered how badly I was going to screw this up.

She thought for a moment, as she drug me towards the kitchen, before glancing over her shoulder to say, "Chocolate."

"Umm...Lucy," I began, thinking I should warn her of the hazards I presented in the kitchen.

She stretched on her tiptoes, trying to reach a large bowl in the top cabinet, and said, "What?"

I walked up behind her and pulled the bowl down, as I told her, "Look, I'm kind of bad at cooking."

"Thanks," she said, as she began pulling ingredients out and handing them to me, "You can't be that bad. Besides, this is baking, not cooking."

"Yeah, I really can. You'll see," I said, chuckling a bit, "And I doubt baking will be any different for me than cooking."

She laughed lightly at me, and started dumping things into the bowl, as I looked on in fascination. I had no idea that so many things went into making a cake. Her hands moved nimbly through the motions, measuring and adding things at seemingly random moments. It was fun to watch her, with her face screwed up in concentration.

She looked up at me and pointed to another cabinet, asking, "Can you grab the mixer for me?"

I opened the cabinet and turned to give her a confused look. I had no idea what a mixer was, so how was I supposed to find it? "Yeah, uh...what does it look like?"

She shook her head at me as she headed over to grab the little machine she was looking for. She brought it over to the bowl, and waved me over, "Come on, time for you to help."

"You sure about this?" I asked incredulously, as she plugged in the cord and handed me the contraption.

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, you're going to turn it on, and just move it around the bowl to blend everything."

She barely got the words out before I had flipped the switch. Without realizing it, I had somehow hit the highest setting, and I watched in shock as the batter shot out everywhere, splattering across the counter, my bare chest, and all over the front of my companion. Her eyes went wide, as she squealed, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

I quickly switched it off and looked down at her sheepishly, waiting for her to yell at me for making such a mess, but she surprised me when she suddenly burst out laughing. My lips curved up as I watched her clutch her stomach, trying desperately to catch her breath. "Oh my God...look at you! You really are a complete disaster in the kitchen!" she choked out, pointing at my now speckled body.

"Hey! I'm not a disaster!" I argued, struggling to keep my affronted tone with her.

She smiled, wrinkling her nose rather cutely, and nodded, saying, "Oh yes, you are, but I have to admit, that was pretty cute." I smiled at her, as she turned, still giggling, to grab a rag from the sink. I was glad to see her loosening up; every smile, every laugh was one step closer to changing her view of rainy days into something good.

She motioned for me to come to her, and I walked over to stand before her. I stood still, as she wet the cloth and brought it to my chest, smoothing it over my pecks, before trailing over my abs. I forced myself to breathe normally, though my heart was pounding away inside me. What was going on with me? I watched as her hand moved over my skin, and I realized that I liked this picture more than I should.

When she was done, I reached for the rag and brought it up to her cheek, swiping gently at the little brown spots of batter. My mouth went dry as the thought hit me that it would taste so much better right from her skin. I licked my lips unconsciously, and without thinking, my thoughts tumbled out of my mouth, "You look delicious."

Her eyes widened fractionally, as they flew up to meet mine. I opened my mouth to explain, but wasn't even sure how to salvage the situation. "I-I mean - it. It looks delicious," I emphasized, trying frantically to correct my slip-up.

Lucy stared at me, saying nothing as I began to panic. "Lucy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," I apologized, praying that I hadn't ruined our friendship, as well as the cake. I stepped back, dropping my hand to my side, turning my head away from her. I couldn't look at her now that she knew my best kept secret. I wanted her with every fiber of my being. I wasn't even sure when my feelings for her had changed, but somehow, the blonde beauty had gotten under my skin.

She cleared her throat, and taking a deep breath, said shakily, "Maybe you should taste it."

My head flew up, the air leaving my lungs in a whoosh, as I stuttered, "W-what?"

She walked forward slowly, and dipped her finger in the chocolate batter, before coming towards me. Surely she couldn't mean what I thought she meant. She raised her outstretched hand to my mouth, and commanded, "Taste it, Gray."

My pulse went through the roof. I kept my eyes on her face as I grabbed her hand, bringing the coated digit to my mouth. My tongue flicked out and the flavor hit my taste buds like a flash. I shut my eyes as I wrapped my lips around her finger, sucking every bit of the batter into my mouth. Her breathing was ragged as I opened my eyes and released her. Her eyes sparking, she reached up and pulled my head down to her, saying, "My turn."

She smashed her mouth to mine, slipping her tongue into my mouth to catch a taste of the decadent treat. I pulled her body flush against mine, deepening the kiss. I couldn't believe this was happening. I never thought she'd ever feel for me the way I felt for her, but I wasn't complaining. No, this was everything I'd ever hoped for and more. Our tongues swirled around each other, learning the taste of each other, savoring the lingering hint of chocolate. We pulled back for a breath of air, but I didn't let her go. I didn't think I'd ever be ready to let her go.

I lifted a hand to cup her face, and brushing my thumb across her cheek, I whispered her name reverently, "Lucy."

She opened her eyes and smiled up at me, a brilliant smile, full of hope and what I prayed was love. She was so beautiful, maybe even more so, because she was in my arms. I couldn't comprehend what had happened. All I knew is that I wanted her to know how I felt. I wanted her to know everything. "I love you, Lucy," I said, as I caught her eyes, "I've loved you for a long time, now."

Her face softened, and her mouth opened to say the words I'd waited forever to hear, "I love you too, Gray."

I took her face in my hands and leaned in, rasping, "I swear I'll make you happy," before pressing my lips to hers again.

She moaned into my mouth as she pressed herself closer to me, and I eased back to scoop her into my arms. She squeaked at the sudden movement, and I laughed as I carried her out of the kitchen. "What about the cake?" she asked, her head cocked to the side.

"Leave it for now. We might need it later," I mumbled into her ear, as I nuzzled the hair around it.

She gasped and smacked me lightly, shocked at the insinuation. Then she giggled, saying, "Hmm...I might like that, after all."

I arched an eyebrow at her daring, and said, "Maybe we should go get it now."

"Nope, later," she announced proudly, "You still owe me a movie."

I kissed her quickly and hissed jokingly, "Party pooper."

She stuck her tongue out at me in retaliation, before her face turned serious again. "Gray," she spoke quietly, "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked, my brows knit in confusion.

"For being here, for kissing me," she explained, grinning at the last one, before continuing, "Thank you for making this the best rainy day ever."

My heart soared at her words. I had succeeded in making her day better, but did it change how she felt about them from now on? "You don't hate rainy days anymore?" I asked softly, treading this delicate ground carefully.

"How could I possibly hate them when you're around?" she replied, her signature smile on her face, as love shone in her eyes.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it! It turned out slightly different from what I was planning, but I still had a lot of fun writing it :) If you want to check out the other stories entered into the contest, here's the link: topic/126685/79714635/1/First-writing-challange