Christmas with My Former Crush

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail

Lucy woke up to her phone vibrating beside her ear. Outside her window, the sky was slowly turning pink and orange as the sun began to set. She didn't think she'd nap so long. Groggily, she pulled herself up as she squinted at her screen. It took her a moment or two to realize that it was Natsu calling her, not an alarm.

"Hello?" she said, "What's got you calling, Natsu?"

"Um, wrong person, but hi."

Lucy blinked, wondering if she heard right or she's just still weary from sleep. "Gray?" she stammered, "Is that you? What are you doing with Natsu's phone?"

"Hi Lucy! The idiot left his at home before he went to crash into my place so he's borrowing mine," Natsu's voice answered from the other line.

"Hello, Natsu!" Lucy greeted. "So what's up, Gray? What are you doing at the Dragneel's? Something happened, hasn't it?"

"I called to let you know I'm fine," Gray said, "Just um, just in case you're worrying and all."

The way he spoke told otherwise. Lucy could hear how tired Gray was, though she chose not to mention it anymore. "A-And Lyon? How did you fair meeting up with him again?"

"I kind of hit him again—in my defense he was being an asshole," Gray added quickly. "Anyway, I don't think we're going back to your place tonight so um, just a heads up I guess." In the background, Lucy could hear a faint voice calling Gray's name. He clicked his tongue. "That's Ultear calling. We're gonna go home now. See you in–see you when I see you. Bye."

"What? Wait—" Lucy blinked as the call ended, needing time to process the quick conversation. Sighing, she decided that she needed to go out and jumped off her bed. At least he seemed okay enough to give her an update.

It was then that her mind drifted back to her encounter with Juvia earlier that midday. It had not been hard to notice the covered bruise on the girl's cheek and her bloodshot eyes. Try as Lucy might to get mad at the girl for hurting Gray and for insulting Layla, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Juvia. The girl was apparently having a rough time too.

As Lucy wondered why her emotions were so invested on a relationship that she wasn't in to begin with, she almost hit her sister when she opened the door.

"Woah, take it easy there!" Keirin exclaimed, stepping out of the way before she bumped into the door. "Mom told me to wake you up, but it looks like I don't have to do it anymore. Man, you were asleep for," she checked her phone, "for four hours! Sting-nii and Rufus-nii already went home. Mom said to help her make dinner."

Lucy followed Keirin down the stairs, heading to the kitchen to assist her mother. "What are we having tonight?"

"Just fried chicken," Layla said, "Do you feel better now?"

"Much." Lucy stepped beside Layla and began placing the chicken parts in egg yolk. "Gray called. He said that they're probably going to stay the night at their place."

"Ur told me so as well. I do hope they'll be able to sort things out," Layla replied with a sigh. "It's sad that they'll be welcoming Christmas with tension between the boys. Lyon and Gray must both be feeling hurt."

The images of a car almost hitting Gray and the way dark circles adorned the bottom of his bloodshot eyes flashed in Lucy's mind. "Yes," she said as she covered the chicken with breadcrumbs, "They must be."

"You do know that Mom has a lot to say when we get home, right?" Ultear said as she made a left turn.

Gray remained silent, staring out window.

"She tried getting Lyon to talk apparently, but he wouldn't budge," Ultear continued, "Then the little shit locked himself in his room." She gave her brother a quick glance. "She's pissed at the whole situation."

It was then that Gray finally gave out a scoff, speaking for the first time since he entered the car. "Do you know who else is more than pissed?" he asked, "Me, that's who! My girlfriend cheated on me with my own brother and Lyon is being a proud bloody git about it." His jaw tightened at the thought. "Sorry but I really don't get why you're trying to get me to talk, Ultear."

"Well, I'm just being the concerned citizen," Ultear snorted, finally pulling up in front of their gate. She watched with sad eyes as Gray got out of the car, his shoulders drooping lower than usual and his gait slow with each heavy step towards their front doors. She turned the engine off and got out as well. "You don't have to forgive him right away," she told him, tone hushed, before they entered through the door.

"I don't plan to do so anytime soon."

Ultear frowned. "But you have to understand that while he's a piece of shit, you two are still brothers," she said, "The both of you are more alike than you think."

The opening door paused halfway as Gray met the eyes of his sister. "I know," he said solemnly, and entered through the foyer.

Ultear didn't follow Gray stomping up the stairs and disappearing on the second floor. She sighed yet again and headed to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Growing up, her brothers weren't always the best of buddies, but they weren't on bad terms either. They both liked sports and they both were headstrong. They, like all members of the family, liked the cold and hated the heat. When they were little kids, the two of them would usually play pranks on her together.

She chuckled, remembering how she would make the both of them cry whenever they tried to trick her. As she took a sip on her drink, Ultear sat on a stool by the bar, her frown returning. She supposed that their similarities had caused their downfall, since they had both fallen for the same girl and what not. Like poles repel, after all.

Ur raised the three of them as decent people. That's why Ultear didn't understand what made Lyon do such a thing—and to Gray, of all people! Something must have happened. Lyon had always been the closest to their father. So when he had passed away, Lyon took the hardest. There hadn't been that many kids in the neighborhood that Ultear knew Lyon was close to. There had been this one kid he had been close to—was the name Sherry or Cherry—but she had moved away a few months before Silver had died. Lyon had become more of the brooding sort since then. Whatever the reason however, Ultear had been blind to see it.

Not so gently setting her empty coffee cup down, she let her head fall on her folded arms sitting on the counter top. She was such a failure as a sister, to have let such a heavy feud occur between her brothers and not being able to do a single thing to help ease the soreness of the situation. Damn it all. Christmas was supposed to be fun.

Just as Lucy was taking her first bite of dinner, the doorbell rang. She groaned, set her fork down, and, since she was sitting on the chair closest to the door, went to check up on who was visiting at such an hour.

"Natsu?" Lucy's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the grinning boy. "What are you doing here?"

"Did I hear you say Natsu?" Layla called from the dining room, "Come on in and eat with us! We're just starting."

"It's been a while since you last came!" Keirin said.

"Hi Aunt Layla, hey Kei," Natsu greeted as he pulled out a chair beside Keirin. "Thanks! Don't mind if I do."

Lucy gaped as she watched one of her best friends settle in comfortably with her family. "Why do I have the sinking suspicion that you only came here to barge in on dinner?"

"Of course not," Natsu countered as he took an enormous bite out of a chicken leg. He turned to Layla. "Is it alright if I take Luce out for a walk later?"

"What am I—a dog?" Lucy demanded, taking her seat yet again and finally eating.

Layla checked the clock. "It's already seven in the evening and it's awfully cold outside," she said.

"We'll just be quick!" Natsu pleaded.

"I'm still not agreeing to go out, y'know," Lucy pointed out, "What if I don't want to go walk?"

"Oh, alright, as long as you get Lucy back home before eight," Layla told Natsu, who exclaimed out a thanks.

"Come on, Luce, eat faster! We've got less than an hour!" Natsu scolded her as Lucy began to complain.

Keirin laughed as her sister and Natsu made a spectacle of themselves by eating hurriedly and dashing out the door.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Lucy asked once they were now out the door and on the streets. She pulled her coat closer to her body. "Natsu, it's winter and not everybody is as energetic as you despite the cold."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'll be quick," Natsu snorted. "I just came here to check up on you. You didn't sound okay over the phone. Are you alright?"

Lucy smiled, touched at the kind gesture. "I'm okay, Natsu, thank you. I must've sounded groggy then since I just woke up when the two of you called," she explained. "Is that all?"

"I should be the one asking you that," Natsu countered, "Is that all?"

Lucy blinked, wondering how on earthland a person as dense as Natsu be so sharp at times. "Well, I am worried about Gray."

Natsu wrinkled his nose. "You and me, both," he agreed, sighing. "Anyway, that's actually everything, to be honest."

"I see," Lucy said, before she paused and pointed an accusing finger at Natsu, laughing. "I knew it! So you only did come here for dinner!"

"Oi, that's so not true!" Natsu exclaimed, but laughed as well. "I really came here to check up on you. It must have been hard for you too."

"No," Lucy said, shaking her head and remembering Juvia's pained gaze, "I'm sad, but I'm not even scratching the surface of their pain."

Who was she, in the first place, to keep sticking her head into other people's businesses?

Author's Note: AAANDDDD THAT'S IT FOR CHAPTER 29! It's sloppy, I know, but I'm really just avoiding the inevitable POV of Gray and Ur. Please forgive me and my incompetence. HOWEVER, aside from how an update is sooooo long overdue, my main reason for uploading this would be this person who goes by the username patatash17. (He keeps on constantly pestering to update to thank him, y'all). ALSO! This is for patatash17: It's you. That's the answer to that one question you never seem to forget to ask during our calls. Though I have the sinking feeling you knew it already, since apparently I'm a hopeless case when it comes subtlety. I really do hope you're reading this for the first time when I'm sitting right next to you, because if you aren't, I won't be talking to you the rest of next week HAHAHAHA.

Anyway, THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY WHO HAS READ THIS FIC! PLEASE DO FOLLOW, FAVE, AND REVIEW. REVIEWWWWWSSSSS ARE ALWAYS THE BEST! LOTS OF LOVE TO YALL!