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Graylu Week 2k16

Day 5: Breakdown

"Dammit!"

A loud smack was heard all over a five-floor staircase when someone in one of the flats threw something made of glass against their door.

Inside that very flat, a young woman, panting with anger and worry, was looking at the mess she'd created. Not only her primary problem was now an issue, but her impulsive throw of a glass bottle full of juice splattered the liquid on her walls around the door. She huffed and plopped on the floor, frowning.

When she came home, a never suspecting any problem Lucy found that the door lock was making resistance against her key. Still, to her greatest relief, she managed to get inside after a minute and, naturally, closed the door after herself, out of habit locking it from the inside. However, what she did not realize was that when the door shut, the goddamn lock would end up trapping her inside. Which she'd found out a few hours later when she intended to go out.

Heartfilia massaged her temples, thinking intensively and trying to ignore a little panic she was feeling when she thought of being trapped. What options did she have? Well. She could call for a locksmith, but he'd definitely destroy the thing completely, making her flat open for everyone during the following night, and she was scared of robbers. Moreover, it was past the curfew and any common person would be angered by a late phone call, especially if she were to call for them. Lucy sighed heavily; apparently, she would have to wait till morning.

Nonetheless, she was restless. Lucy was terrified of being locked up, the thing reminding her of her childhood and her harsh father, who was keeping her inside her room for days if she'd misbehaved. In that case, she could not force herself to fall asleep. She simply wouldn't. Thus, standing on her feet and moving to grab a screwdriver and some other tools she could use, Lucy decided she would get there and try to fix it herself.

After an hour, she was tearing up in a corner. There was nothing she could do, she wasn't strong enough to lift the door, nor did she exactly know what was wrong with the damn, broken down thing. Her phobia only increased with another hour being chimed by an old wall clock in her living room. She had an impression the walls were closing around her, making her curl up more and more.

Suddenly, she heard some noise on the stairs and froze, listening. There was someone outside. Another sound, as if they were walking up. And another: quick steps.

Lucy almost chocked on her tears from relief; it was her chance! Her heart leaped. She'd be saved! The woman crawled to the door and began knocking on them with her fists, at the same time calling: "Hello? Please, I know you're there, please, help me! Hello?!"

The steps ceased. There was silence, ripped only by her heavy breaths when she was unable to hold them in anymore. Her stomach was turning in nerves, threatening to make her throw up. Yet, the silence was prolonging.

"Hello? Are you still there?" Lucy asked again in a breaking tone.

"W-who's that?"

It was a deep masculine voice, but she couldn't care less. She needed a living person, it could be anyone for all she cared at the moment. She almost cried again, that time from joy, and pressed her cheek against the door, speaking frantically.

"I'm sorry, but I'm stuck in here, the lock's broken down and I can't get it opened! I don't know what's wrong with it, I tired fixing the thing, but… Oh! Please, help me!"

The man outside seemed to come closer. But when he spoke up, his words were rather hesitant. "Well, it's already nighttime; in the morning, just call for a locksmith and—"

"N-no!" Lucy's eyes watered. "Please… I'm scared of being locked in… Trapped… Please, help me…"

The blonde heard a sigh and a sound of clawing, as if he was scratching his head. She did not care The silence was filled with tension, at least to her, and anticipation. At the very last, the man cleared his throat and said:

"All right, miss. I'll go and take a few tools from my flat, and then come back. We'll try to figure something out."

She held her breath. Was he for real? The woman almost fainted from a mixture of relief and hope. "R-really?"

"Yes. Wait up."

"Thank you!" Lucy called and heard his steps drift away.

She took a few deep breaths and braced her back against a wall. I'll be saved, I'll be okay… She kept telling herself, calming her nerves quite effectively.

Lucy waited for ten minutes, worrying her neighbor wouldn't come back, but then she heard the steps coming from upstairs and approaching her door.

"Miss?"

"I'm here." She answered.

"Good. Now, tell me what happened?"

"I— The key was not coming in and I couldn't turn it… And then I just closed the door out of habit and… And I'm here." Lucy ended sloppily.

Another huff. "Fine. I'll try to open it with the tools."

Heartfilia sat there, listening to the man working from the outside. A few curses reached her and she smiled in spite of herself. After a while, he grunted and the clicking of the metal ended.

"No way it's opening like this. Woman, what have you done to the lock?!"

"Nothing!" She defended herself. She heard a growl.

"I'll have to try to broach the lock."

"But it's late…" She said sensibly, concerned over the neighbors' reaction.

"I can't see another way, y'know." He muttered. "They'd understand. Besides, I said I'll try."

Lucy made a noise which could only signify an agreement and heard him try a drill out in the air. Immediately, she winced and scowled; the sound was so loud! However, if she wanted out, she'd have to endure it and explain herself to the people living there later.

Nonetheless, after a few tries the man stopped drilling and exhaled heavily. "Sorry. Can't help. It doesn't work."

"B-but…"

"Miss, I'm sorry, but I need to go. I tried, but I have no idea what I'm doing, to be honest."

"Then what'll I do?" Lucy moaned, once again scared.

The man clicked the light on the staircase and thought it over. The woman couldn't help a small whimper and then a sob coming out of her. Great, now I look like I were crazy. When she was almost sure she would be left alone, the guy cleared his throat again and said:

"Well. I can't leave you like this… Listen, my friend's quite good in things like this. I'll try to call him now, maybe he's not asleep yet…"

"W-would he come?" She uttered.

"Maybe."

Lucy bit her lip, praying in her mind that his friend would be awake and would come. She pressed her hands together, crossing her fingers and listening to the man calling on the other side of the door.

"Hi, Natsu. No… It's good, yeah. You? Ah… Okay… Um, listen, man. I've got a problem here, there's a lady trapped in her flat and I can't get the door to open again. What? No… She can't. Beats me, but she seems to have a hysteria whenever I try to leave. Yeah. Mhm. Exactly. So, will you come over? Yeah, my place." A moment of silence met her and she kept her breath in. "Fine. Great. Thanks, I owe you."

The man seemed to hang up and Lucy waited another ten seconds before speaking.

"And?"

"He's coming, it should take him a few minutes." There was a sound signalizing he sat down and braced himself against her door. "Damn, I'll be in his debt…"

"I will." Lucy admitted. "And in yours, too. I'm so sorry it had to be you, but you're the only one who was passing by and…"

"Don't sweat it." He answered tiredly. "It's not your fault, right?"

She took a shaky breath and smiled a little. "I guess."

A moment of silence embraced them, then he spoke up again.

"I'm Gray, I live a floor away from you."

"Lucy here." The woman replied. "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a sculptor… But right now I'm working as a banker."

"Banker? Wow, that's pretty diverse." Lucy giggled.

"And you?"

"I'm a chef."

"Oh! So, food, eh?"

"Definitely. And if your friend helps, you're both invited over for a late dinner right now or tomorrow."

"I'll take your word to that, Lucy." Gray chuckled. "Since you're a chef, you must cook well. And I'm dying to eat something great!"

"Then we have a deal."

Suddenly, a crash was heard and someone started running upstairs. Gray stood up. "It must be Natsu." When the steps were close enough, he added. "Yo, man. Thanks for coming."

"No problem. So, where's the damsel in distress?" A new voice, Natsu, asked cheerfully.

"Hey!" Lucy protested.

"Well, hi there. Gimme a moment and you'll be free."

"Told you." Gray said. "Besides, Lucy says we're invited for a dinner after that."

"Really? Then I'm twice as glad that I came!" Natsu replied excitedly.

"I thought so. You and food…"

"Which means I'm supposed to make much of it?" Lucy laughed.

"Yep! Loads of food!"

She grinned truthfully. And, since then, the lock-up did not feel that bad. She was smiling and chatting with the men outside of the door, who were fighting with the lock.

Finally, something clicked and the handle moved. Lucy squealed, excited, and smiled widely when the door opened completely, revealing two of her saviors.

One of them, the closer standing one, had salmon hair and a huge grin on his face, happy about managing to help. That must've been Natsu, she decided.

"Thank you so, so much!" Lucy exclaimed and stood up, coming to the man and embracing him tightly.

"No problem, miss! Natsu at your service." He returned the embrace and laughed.

"Roger that! Lucy at yours." She giggled and saluted, winking.

"Well, good to see you so cheerful." Another voice stated.

Lucy turned her eyes at the other male and her cheeks began to sting a little; he had dark hair and dark eyes, his hands in pockets and a smirk on his face were summing him up in a word: cool. Gray was definitely cool, and he was terribly handsome at that. She blinked and came to him, throwing her arms around his neck next.

"Thank you so, so much Gray. I wouldn't have made it without you, honest."

"Don't be silly." He spat, but embraced her back.

Lucy's blush only increased, but she refused to let it disturb her. "Truly. I'm so indebted, guys. Can I do something for you now?"

"Nah, it's late and my girl's waiting for me at home." Natsu waved his hand at them and watched with mirth how the blonde let go of Gray and stood back, smiling at them both. "So, when's the dinner?"

"Tomorrow. Come around six, I'll have lots of food and drinks. I owe you big, after all!"

Natsu chuckled. "I've got a feeling we're gonna be great friends."

"Yep, me too." Lucy smiled back at him.

"Okay, so I'll be going, too." Gray said, nodding and making the girl focus her attention solely on him. "Like Natsu said, it's late. So, tomorrow at six it is."

"Great." Lucy clapped her hands.

"See you then, Lucy, Gray!" The salmon-haired man bid his goodbye and left, not leaving any room for argument against the quick disappearance.

When he was gone, Gray turned to the blonde and intended to take his leave as well, but he was stopped by a sheepish look on Lucy's face. In fact, she was thinking of making him stay a little longer. Sure, she'd already been quite a hassle to him. But, even though she'd already been quite a hassle for him, she found the brunet really intriguing. There was something about him which was appealing and mysterious, making her ask the following question with a sweet smile and a feisty look on her face:

"But, you know, you live a floor away, so maybe you wanna have a drink before departing?"

Which made her the more happy when he smirked again and accepted the invitation, making Lucy change her mind over the breakdown of the lock.

It turned out to have quite an intriguing outcome, after all.

Sorry I'm almost late! I totally had no idea what to write... So, it's not even proofread, I'll do it later, promise, though!

Love you all, thank you for the support :)