"...ay? ...ray? ...Gray? Hey, c'mon Gray, wake up already".

"I'm fairly certain that unconscious people don't wake up to someone simply calling them".

"Oh what would you know, dumb cat".

"I'm smarter than you are, stupid human!"

"Real mature, Frost".

"Argh, you know just how to ruffle my fur, Lyon!"

Lyon...? What's Lyon doing here? Where am I even? I don't feel like I'm anywhere familiar... And who's Frost? I don't recognise the name... Maybe I should see what's going on...but I feel so comfy here... No. No, I have to get up. I have to face the reality of that attack sooner or later...

Gray groaned as his eyes slowly blinked open, wincing as they attempted to adjust to the sudden light beaming down from directly above. Thankfully a silhouette blocked the light for him and his vision adjusted so that he could see clearly that Lyon was indeed sitting beside him. And he looked so very relieved.

"Thank Amora you're alright, I thought I'd lost you!"

Amora...? Who in the world is Amora?

"Lyon, I don't think the Captain would be too happy if you kept busying yourself over Gray and left them in a panic". Gray turned his head slightly to see that there was a fluffy, silver tabby Exceed standing gently on his chest. She wore dark blue shorts, a light blue shirt with an orange sleeveless jacket on top and her appearance was finished off with bright, lime green eyes. She noticed Gray had noticed her and flicked her tail tip, folding her arms and giving him a half-smile. "Good to have you back, partner" she meowed.

Lyon reluctantly stood with a huff and rested his hand on Gray's shoulder, squeezing it sympathetically. "I'll be back in a short while, Frost will stay with you though" he said before walking away from Gray's line of sight. The Fairy Tail mage heard the sound of automatic sliding doors and registered that Lyon must've left the room they were in. But...he'd never heard of automatic sliding doors being a thing before though... Just hwere in the world was he exactly?

"Gray, are you feeling okay? Usually you'd be all over Lyon and telling him over and over that you're fine so that he would quit worrying over nothing" the Exceed moved closer to him to sit beside his head.

Gray looked at her confused. He somehow managed to make his voice work to question her on her words. "Lyon...and I... We're close but we're not like that..."

It was Frost's turn to look confused then. The silver tabby tilted her head to the side slightly, suddenly looking at him as if he'd grown two heads or more instead of looking at him like she was extremely thankful for him to even be alive. "Gray...did you get a concussion or something? Lyon's your ever-so-loving-and-loyal boyfriend, if I quote him correctly".

That put a shock into Gray's system. Lyon was his boyfriend? Since when?! Lyon's a stupid, arrogant, ignorant, silver, spiky haired, stuck-up jerk! Why, oh why in any world would I end up falling for him?! "That can't be right...Frost, was it?"

"Yes...Gray, you know me. I'm your Exceed partner for crying out loud! Me, you and Lyon are always going on adventures together! I don't know what had happened to you, but you were in a pretty bad state when Lyon and I finally found you on Planet Hiri... How did you end up there anyway? Oh, nevermind, you're back home and safe and sound now. That's all that matters. Your parents will be happy to hear that you're okay too".

"My parents? But...my parents are dead... How can they be here? Where even is here?"

Frost flattened her ears a little bit and sighed. "Do you really not remember anything? Honestly?"

Gray sat up and looked around. This was definitely not a place he recognised. Had Frost called this home? This wasn't home. Not at all. The room was a calming blue colour, like a light wintery sky when the clouds weren't plaguing it and casting shadows all over the ground. The ceiling was a creamy white dotted with hand-painted stars in a silver colour. Gray looked toward where he'd heard the doors from Lyon's retreat earlier and his eyes widened as he caught onto the view outside the window. Was he...in space?! How could he be in space?! He was dreaming...he was definitely dreaming. He quickly snapped himself out of his stunned gaze and looked at Frost.

"I...honestly don't remember anything. H-How are we in space? How are my parents alive? A-And how is Lyon here?"

"So you know Lyon...that'll please him at the very least, even if you don't remember being his boyfriend anymore" the little Exceed replied, tugging on the jacket slightly with her paws.

"I don't know that Lyon. The Lyon I know would never harbour romantic feelings for me. I've seen what it's like when he does claim to love someone like that and it's definitely something I would never want to have around".

Frost was about to open her mouth in a reply when the doors opened and in came rushing a man and a woman, who both immediately hugged Gray while Llyon stood just inside the doorway. Frost took it as a cue to fly over to the silvery white-haired man and perched on his shoulder, arms folded snuggly across her chest as they both looked onward at the trio.

"Oh Gray, when Lyon told us you were awake we were so relieved!"

"We thought we were going to lose one of our most valuable crew members!"

Gray felt his throat dry up like a desert. He felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks in rivers. He recognised those voices. The first had been his mother's, and the second had been his father's. Frost was right, they really were alive here... And they were hugging him lovingly and tight and all he could do was sit there and cry like a child. The walls he had built around his heart began to crumble and tear themselves down and he soon found himself hugging his parents back with as uch love and affection as they were giving him with their own hugs.

Frost was whispering what Gray's reactions to certain things had been like and a look of disappointment crawled onto his face. His eyes became clouded and it was obvious that he was feeling a very strong heartache at that moment. But he soon regained his composure when the family trio pulled away. Lyon would get Gray to remember him. He made a silent vow to that.

Mika and Silver sat either side of their son and he looked at them with a mix of confusion and happiness. Happy that he could see, talk to and feel his parents once more, but confused on where he was and how they were alive. And how come Lyon was here with them? And where did Frost come from? And how were they all in some sort of room floating around in space of all places?!

So, he decided to ask them. His parents were as confused as Frost was.

"Gray, darling...you and Lyon love one another more than anything". His mother told him. "He's very protective of you, too. You've always played together ever since we first found him when you were only little. Ur took him in under her wing and trained his up to be one of our strong crew members".

"That's right, son." Silver continued. "You've always lived up here in the Arrowhead Galaxy with us. We've been travelling around different planets and galaxies for your entire life. Whatever happened to you, it must've messed with your head pretty badly".

"I'm serious! I've never met Frost until now! I'm not in love with Lyon! You're both supposed to be dead! Ur is supposed to be dead too! A-And I'm certain I'm not supposed to have lived in space my whole life! I don't know who you think I am but I'm clearly not him!"

Gray had never felt so conflicted in his life. He loved his parents, Ur and Lyon deeply and was happy that the first said three were alive and well, but it wasn't possible that they could be here. He looked up between his parents again and wiped away his dry tears only for new ones to sting the corners of his eyes. Although he would never admit it, he was scared. No, he was more than scared. He was absolutely terrified. Had the attack from Laxus somehow teleported him through time and space into an alternate universe perhaps? No...that couldn't be possible could it? But then there had been Edolas... It was too much to think about right now.

Silver sighed and patted his shoulder gently. "Get some more sleep, perhaps. That might help you regain your memory". The large man stood and walked to the door, looking at Lyon and Frost as he passed. "You two are to take care of him as usual, clear?"

"Aye aye Captain!" the duo said, saluting as the other man passed through the doors.

Mika kissed her son's forehead and cupped his cheek, gently stroking the skin with the pads of her thumbs. "It'll all be alright, my darling little one. You'll understand everything soon enough. Just do as your father says and get some rest, it looks like you need it". She then turned to look at Lyon from over her shoulder. "And I have no doubt in my mind that Lyon will take care of everything you need".

Lyon blushed a little bit and Frost whispered something in his ear that got him sputtering, flushing a deeper shade of blush and had him trying to reach the Exceed as she hovered just out of reach above his head. Mika giggled slightly, knowing the silver tabby liked to tease him from time to time about his relationship with her son, despite the stern exterior she put on when it came down to serious matters.

Mika then kissed Gray on the forehead and helped him settle down once more - to which he now noticed it was the lower half of a bunk bed he was in - and smiled at him lovingly before she, too, left to follow after to wherever her husband had gone.

Lyon and Frost came back to Gray's side like they had been when he had awoke and as Gray's eyes began to close again, he felt Frost curl up on his chest much like Happy did with Natsu, and he felt Lyon place his hand on top of his own, giving his fingers a comfortingly and sympathetic squeeze. Gray could tell that what he had said about not loving Lyon had hurt him, and he was sorry for it, but he also knew that as far as he was concerned, it was the truth.

Gray eventually let sleep take over him and not long after, Lyon and Frost had fallen into a light doze at his side too.


So...what do you guys think so far?