Gratsu Christmas:
A/N: so whenyoupracticeyouimprove I'm your secret santa! I'm not that anon who was messaging you though (maybe you're getting two presents?) Also I was so happy when I found out I was gifting to you I squealed so I hope you like it! Unfortunately my computer broke so I had to type this on my iPad so sorry if there are mistakes. Also it is pretty long XD and takes a while to get to the Gratsu. Also, it turned out sadder than I expected…
Warning: a shit load of angst
So without further ado; Merry Christmas, have a gratsu school au!
Natsu tapped his pencil on the desk, waiting for class to be over. Sensei was taking his glorious time in going over the different scale types of fish. Numerous diagrams, points and timelines were drawn up but unless you'd been paying attention throughout the entire lecture, they hardly made sense. Natsu had not.
'When will we seriously need any of this?' He mentally complained, glancing at the clock. Five minutes to go.
He usually would pay attention to these lessons but he just couldn't concentrate what with the clock ticking agonisingly slow.
Just five more minutes.
DING DONG.
The intercom buzzed to life and a voice crackled over. "Good afternoon teachers, students" the student counsellor, Carla said as coldly as ever "I apologise for interrupting class but I'd like to remind the students about the correct way to behave these christmas holidays" there was a pause "rule number one: your actions reflect the school, we've got enough of a reputation after the Courage Academy incident, we don't need to worsen it" you could feel the heat of embarrassment radiating of Juvia without even looking "Rule two: stay safe! We don't want any students returning injured! And finally; Rule three… Have fun"
DING DONG
The class remained silent for a moment. It was such a rare event for Carla to say something like: "have fun" that the class had to savour the feeling. Sensei turned to the class, a big dopey grin on his little cat face "you heard the lady!"
RING
"Dismissed!" Happy-Sensei chirped before leaping off his lectern and bouncing to the staffroom.
"Hell yeah!" Natsu yelled and stood up, knocking over his chair in the process.
"Seriously Natsu, you don't have to be that excited!" Came the half hearted complaint from the blonde student rapidly approaching, a bluenette trailing after her.
"Aw Lucy!" Natsu grinned "where's your holiday spirit~?"
Lucy sighed but smiled, the little blue haired girl beside her giggling.
"Oi you're so noisy" came a growl.
Turning Natsu gritted his teeth "oh? And what's your problem?!"
Standing in front of his was one of his classmates, Gray Fullbuster, completely nude except for a tie. It did not matter to Natsu though, having been in this situation numerous times before. Lucy had not.
"P-PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" She screeched, face flaming and spinning around whilst Wendy yelped and covered her face.
Natsu sniggered at the look on Gray's face. The raven haired boy yelped and quickly searched for the missing pieces of clothing and yanked them on.
When Gray had finished getting his clothes on, he shuffled back over, looking grumpy. Wendy quickly piped up "so what's everyone doing for christmas?"
"Personally" Lucy gave a yelp when their red headed school council president materialised over her shoulder, fiddling with her glasses "I'll be visiting some of my old friends from where I used to live"
Lucy started "Aren't you going to visit your family?"
The group went quiet. Erza adjusted her glasses and nodded "I'll see you all next term then" and she was gone in a flash of red.
"Ah…"Lucy said flustered "did I say something wrong?"
Wendy looked up at Lucy with big brown puppy like eyes "Erza-san lost her family when she was really young…"
Oh.
Lucy felt her stomach coil and she found sudden interest in the floor. Natsu, not being one to see a classmate so glum quickly said "ah what about you Luce?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing for christmas?"
Lucy smiled slightly "I'm just going to take it easy, it's a little intense at home right now with my parents" she looked at floor once more, frowning slightly.
Wendy gently took Lucy's much larger hands in her minute ones and said in a sweet voice "Can I spend Christmas with you Lucy-san?"
"Eh?"
"Oh! Great idea Wendy! I'll come too!"
"Huh?!"
"Well I certainly won't be left out of this"
"Ma-matte!"
"It's settled then! We'll spend Christmas with Lucy!"
X~X~X~X~X
And so that Christmas morning Lucy, instead of sleeping in to get up and spend the rest of the day eating pudding while watching christmas specials, woke up early to cook a three course meal for two big eaters (Wendy barely eat anything to be honest). However, with a diet of eating heat-ups, it was quite a challenge. Soon her little city apartment was filled with the smell of burning food and she had turn off the smoke alarms multiple times. Furiously turning off the oven, stove and slicing at what she can't even remember; she nearly screamed when the door banged open and three people poured in, each holding multiple dishes.
"You… You guys brought food…?!"
"Didn't Gray tell you?"
"Didn't Natsu tell you?"
'Oh here we go' she thought a split second before all hell broke loose.
"It was your job tell her!"
"You said you'd tell her!"
"I did not!"
"Are you calling me a liar?!"
"You wanna go?!"
"Guys it's Christmas and I don't want to get kicked out of my place so puh-lease do NOT fight!" Lucy shrieked.
The two froze from where their faces were inches apart. They quickly moved apart and Natsu quickly put his dish down. Gray cleared his throat and put his own plate on the table.
"Uh…!" Wendy quipped up "I like you're place Lucy-san!"
The little city apartment was mostly barren. The whitewash walls hardly received any light from the the thin curtained windows. Minimal threadbare furniture from out of the way bargain places dotted the room. There were only four doors, the one they had just gone through, the door to her tiny bedroom, bathroom and a glass door to the concrete balcony. There were no paintings or any sign of personal touches beside a singular small picture of a young Lucy with her parents.
"Arigatou… Wendy…. Ah shall we eat?"
With a quick nod they all sat down together. Opening up the dishes, Lucy was pleasantly surprised at her friend's cooking ability. Natsu had done a ham, Gray; the deserts and little Wendy had done a range of side dishes. And all were at a quality better than Lucy could cook.
They began eating in relative quietness. However; Lucy was the first to break the silence.
"So why aren't you spending Christmas with your families?"
The stillness turned from calm and slightly edged to razor bladed. Gray poked at his food while Natsu scowled slightly and took a swig of his drink. Wendy was the only one who looked at her. "We've got none"
Oh.
"Natsu's dad and my mom both worked for the same bank: Dragon" Wendy took a deep shuddering breath "About seven years ago, a man came along and demanded money and he…" Wendy gave a single hiccup before she burst into sobs.
In a flash Lucy had gotten up and held the bluenette in a tight hug, muttering comfort. Neither of them noticed the scrape of a chair and Natsu going onto the balcony.
Except for Gray.
Leaving the two girls, the raven haired boy paused at the glass door. The pinkette leant over the undecorated metal railing and was holding his white muffler to his face. Sliding open the door, Gray stepped out into the cold.
"Yo"
Natsu jolted and whirled around. "Whaddya want?!"
"Easy, you just ran out of there pretty fast"
"Hmf"
Gray wasn't much for touchy feely but he was even less for a moody Natsu. "You wanna talk about it?"
"No"
"Alright then…" Gray muttered and joined the teen on the railing.
The two of them watched the street below. There was no snow and the city was thrown into a state of cold and grey. There was no one on the streets, except for the odd car, everyone probably having happy lunches with family. Natsu pulled his scarf up over his face, the boy not very tolerant to the cold unlike Gray.
"Gray?"
"Hmm?"
"Why aren't you with your family?"
Gray sighed "My family was killed in a fire started by a serial killer when I was young. I got taken in by great aunt, a police officer and her adopted son but…"
"Yeah?"
"I was a lil shit back then. I'd run off for a while, trying to find the asshole that started the fire until eventually the police brought me back. One day however I'd finally gotten a solid lead and was planning on killing him"
Natsu jolted and whirled his head around to look at his classmate. As much as the raven haired boy was an annoying jerk who was quick to fight, Natsu had never conceived that Gray would ever intent to kill. "She went after you didn't she?"
Gray tilted his head "yeah. She brought her team with her and were planning on storming the building before I got there. But I was already in. Ul heard me and she ran in. Deloria, the killer, had beaten me and had his gun pointed. Ur jumped in front of the bullet. Her team came in right after and caught him. He got life in jail"
"You said she had a son?"
Gray gripped the railing "yeah. His name was Lyon and had been nice to me throughout my entire stay, even when I brushed him off or snarled at him but after Ur died… I'll never forget the look on his face…"
The balcony turned silent and they both found interest in the below street again.
"So now that I've told my story; what about you?"
Natsu puffed out his breath "you heard it from Wendy"
"But I want to hear it from you"
Natsu growled back in his throat "My dad died in a hold-up seven years ago that's it"
"So how'd you end up here?"
"Fairy Tail is one of the top schools in the country"
"And?"
"Am I not allowed to pursue a good education?"
"Well you never actually looked like you were into your education"
"You're one to talk!"
"Stop avoiding the question"
"Fine…" Natsu sighed and played with the ends of the scarf, only then did Gray remember that the pinkette had mentioned that his father had given it to him.
"I… I want to do him proud…"
"Hng?"
"I want to do my dad proud…. Actually he isn't my real dad, I have no idea what happened to my real ones, Igneel adopted me when I was really young. He taught me how to read and write and… I want to make him proud"
"So what do you plan on doing?"
"I plan on joining the police academy"
Much to Natsu's annoyance, a laugh erupted from Gray's throat.
"What's so funny?!"
Gray covered his mouth and rode out the mirth "it's just that" he chuckled "so do I!"
"Huh?"
"I want to be a police officer myself, just like Ul"
Natsu grinned his classic smile "Maybe we'll work in the same district"
"Maybe we'll be partners"
Natsu burst out laughing "I dunno if I could handle working with you! God, partners!"
Gray smirked and leant in "we could be more than partners"
Natsu hiccupped to a stop "Wha-?!"
Gray's smirk grew wider but he stepped back "Nothing. Anyway, we should be getting back inside, we've got Wendy to cheer up!"
Natsu gave him an odd look but shrugged "Yeah we can't have her down now can we?" And stepped back inside.
Just before he followed, the black haired boy stomped his foot 'Damn it' Gray mentally hissed 'so close…'
Well at least he'd now probably have more opportunities.
A/N: damn it I want buddy cops Gratsu now…
So I had no real idea where this was going except I wanted a balcony scene. I had no intent to make it this sad holy shit…
So I hoped everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing this!