A/N: Thank you for the response on the first chapter! I am motivated to continue writing now. Enjoy!
It's been two days since Gray and I moved in. There are still a lot of moving boxes lying around the house, but I am almost done unpacking the bulk, which is a feat considering we had to gather our belongings from two different places. My former landlady was actually sad to see me leave.
'You've gotten good at paying your rent these past few months.' She told me when I handed over the key to my apartment. I think it was her way of telling me she would miss me.
"Did you get all of your stuff?" Gray's voice sounds from upstairs. He was still asleep when I left two hours ago. He likes sleeping in whenever he can, and I also enjoy the quiet of the house when he is asleep.
"Yes." I call out and put down the last two boxes I retrieved. He makes his way down the stairs, yawning all the while. Once at the bottom step, he gives me a wide but sleepy smile.
"Good morning." He greets and picks up my boxes before moving them to the living room. He looks around for a spot to put down the boxes and stacks them on top of the others in the corner.
"It's past noon." I tell him and laugh at his bewildered expression. He curses under his breath and runs a hand through his hair, making it even messier.
"Dammit, now the good requests will be gone." He doesn't sound very regretful, and I know he's joking when he turns around with a playful smile tugging at his lips. I know he has enjoyed having a few days off. I think we both have.
"Did you eat?" I ask him and move towards the kitchen. He follows me like a puppy.
"No, I just got up." He tells me and makes his way to the refrigerator. We haven't had time to go grocery shopping, so whatever is inside the fridge is something we brought over from our apartments. He takes out some orange juice and drinks it straight out of the carton.
"I can see that." He looks down at his sleepwear and sticks out his tongue at me. He doesn't care that I see him in his boxers, and frankly, it doesn't bother me at all. Heavens know I've seen him naked more times than I can count. I like how casual we are around each other. It makes living together very easy.
"I made waffles." The look on his face when I tell him is astounding. Gray looks like his birthday has come early. I have quickly learned that he loves sugary foods at any time of the day.
"You are the best wife ever!" He tells me when I hand him the plate of waffles I left for him. I also place some syrup beside his plate. I'm guessing at least half of the bottle will be empty by the time he is done.
"I know." I laugh as I watch him inhale his breakfast. If he continues at that pace, he'll give Natsu a run for his money, which is a very impressive feat. He is done in less than five minutes and hasn't even made a mess on the table. Maybe I should have made more waffles. He seemed to like them.
"Wanna head to the guild?" He asks me after rinsing off his plate in the sink. I have a feeling I will enjoy living with Gray. He cleans up after himself and he doesn't expect me to do all of the chores.
"Sure." I head back into the living room and pick up my keys. I have already made a habit of placing them on a white tray I keep on top of the cabinet near the door. I used to hang them on a peg by the door in my old apartment, but I like the tray even better. Gray's house keys are also placed in it.
"Let me just put on some clothes." He brushes past me and disappears up the stairs. I open the front door and walk out on our veranda. It's sunny out and I like the warmth. One of our neighbors walks past and waves. I wave back with a smile. We live in a clutter of houses with some elderly people. They are ecstatic that a younger couple has moved in and always make an effort to be friendly. The lady next door is tending to her flowers. They are beautiful and in full bloom. I might ask her a few tips on how to grow them.
"Ready?" Gray has appeared beside me fully dressed. His voice makes our neighbor look up and she greets us both. We walk down the few steps to our house and exchange pleasantries with her before moving on.
Once we are on our way to the guild, I suggest we go shopping later. Gray agrees. He has no intention of taking another job before next week, and he doesn't mind helping around the house. I'm actually very relieved that he hasn't dumped the task of furnishing our house on me.
We arrive at the guild not too long after. Our house, luckily, isn't too far from Fairy Tail, but it can be a little tricky to find. Gray insisted we memorize all the ways that lead to our neighborhood, so we've been taking different routes whenever we go out. I actually like this part of Magnolia; it's so quiet here, contrary to our rowdy guild. I tell Gray this and he snorts.
The second we open the doors, we are practically carried to the middle of the guild, where all our friends are screaming questions. Everyone in the guild agrees that Gray made the right decision. I was worried that they would go bat-shit crazy. I mean, Mira's matchmaking and all the rumors going on about the love triangles and rivalries had me worried, but no one has said one word against us. One of the many reasons I love the guild. Anyways, back to matters at hand. Master shuts them up fairly quickly and then addresses us.
"It seems there has been a leakage about your marriage at the town hall." Master tells us with a sad expression and I feel my eye twitch. There goes my peaceful week. It hasn't even been a minute and I can already feel a headache building up from the pressure behind my eyes.
"That's just great." I'm sure paparazzi will be swarming around us for the next couple of days. It's not every day that two of the most known Fairy Tail mages suddenly decide to get hitched. I can already feel the rumors flying. 'Team romance' and 'Shotgun wedding' is surely to appear in the magazines.
"It might be a good thing, actually." Gray speaks up beside me. He has lowered his voice so only Master and I can hear him. The rest of the guild is busy discussing how to keep us from harm and aren't paying attention to us.
"The faster word gets around that our marriage isn't fake, the faster the creep will stop pursuing you." He nods his head in my direction. By fake Gray means that some people would think we are lying and our marriage is a hoax. Not that it is anybody's business, but we are legally married and I had wanted to keep that information private for a while longer.
"But still-" I try to argue but Master agrees with Gray.
"Publicity will indeed make it easier for people to believe you." He sits cross legged at his usual spot on the bar counter. I glance in Gray's direction. There is no trace of annoyance or frustration on his face. I don't know how he manages to stay so calm all the time, especially considering what we've been through recently, and suddenly I feel like I'm suffocating. I need to get away, so I excuse myself and walk over to where Natsu, Happy and Erza are seated. I know they saw us enter, but they didn't jump into the fray with everyone else since they already know what happened.
"Hey Lucy!" Natsu grins at me and scoots over on the bench, making room for me.
"Hey." I hope I don't sound too sullen.
"Rough day?" Erza guesses and puts her chin in her hand. I definitely sounded too sullen.
"Yeah." I sigh loudly and tell myself to get it together. My friends will cheer me up before I know it. I hope.
"We want to see your new house, Lucy!" Happy flies over and sits down in front of me.
"We'll be done moving in a few days then you can come over." I tell the furry creature. Happy hasn't been as annoying as usual and it is nice to see that even the blue exceed can show consideration. I'll have to treat him to food sometime soon.
"How is living with the snow cone? He giving you trouble?" Natsu looks rather serious as he asks me, and I realize how depressed I must have looked for him to be asking. Natsu has been nothing but supportive, and I really don't want to worry him.
"No, not at all. He is very helpful and considerate." On our first day Gray insisted I take the master bedroom, while he took one of the guest rooms. He also enjoys my cooking and helps clean the house. He's actually a pretty good roommate.
"I just feel bad about everything." I really do. I feel horrible, actually. The thing is, my dad had promised me away to a business partner a few years ago, but they fell out of touch for a while. Then he contacted my father again to arrange my marriage with his son. My dad then contacted me, telling me to come home and marry my betrothed like a good and honorable daughter. If I did, he would look through fingers at me running away and joining a guild. Again.
I still remember receiving dad's letter a little over a week ago. You can bet your ass I was furious. Like last time, he didn't take my feelings into consideration at all. Our relationship is already strained as it is, but to repeat the arranged marriage thing again? He must have dropped his accounting book on his head too many times. Is a betrothal even legal, when one part hasn't given their consent and was underage at the time? Or maybe that is exactly what a betrothal is, where the guardians consent in place of the minors. I'll have to look into it later.
Anyways, so I ignored his letter and went about my day as usual, but of course that didn't last. When I was on my way home from the guild, I felt like I was being watched. There were a lot of people out on the streets, so someone was bound to look at me every now and then. But the prickling feeling on the back of my head wasn't something I wanted to brush off as a coincidence. The second I was home, I locked my door and window, making sure everything was in place.
The next morning I received another letter and a couple of photographs. Of me. They were clearly taken during the past couple of weeks. What shocked me was that there were even photographs taken inside the guild, but they were few. The new letter was a declaration of love, and guess who wrote it? My betrothed. Yep, you heard me. My dad had promised me off to a stalker. Joy.
That was when Natsu barged into my room, insisting I go on a mission with the rest of Team Natsu. He saw the photos and freaked out. Not long after, Gray and Erza heard too and they each took turns guarding me. Even Happy stayed in my apartment during the following nights. I could feel my friends growing restless by the day. My stalker kept sending me pictures of me and started including my friends, when they were alone. What really drove me over the edge was a photograph of one of the letters I wrote to my mother. After that I couldn't stay in my room.
I decided to confront my father - again - and have a talk with this creepy intended of mine. I knew he would be at the Heartfilia estate, he had written it in another letter that he would be waiting for me there. With that, I boarded the first train out of town, along with my friends this time. They insisted on accompanying me and I didn't mind the company at all. What happened next only intensifies my headache, so I'd rather not think about it again. Heavens know I've spent so much time analyzing the situation from different angles and thinking of every possible what-if, but nothing can change what has taken place already.
I'm brought out of my thoughts by feeling two sets of eyes on me. I look up to see both Natsu and Erza frowning at me. If someone tells me it wasn't my fault, I swear to God I am going to kill someth-
"You should talk to Levy. She just returned from her mission this morning and she would like to hear the story from you." Erza gently tells me. It takes me a second to actually understand. Of course I should talk to Levy. We think alike, so she'll understand why I feel guilty and she won't pity me. I look around to see if my blue haired friend is nearby and spot her in the far back of the guild.
"You're right." I sigh and make my way towards Levy. I sigh a lot these days. I hope it doesn't become a habit. Natsu waves at me when I leave and Happy flies back to his side.
"Lu-chan!" She's seen me moving closer. We haven't really had a chance to talk this whole week and I need to vent. She jumps out of her seat and hugs me so tightly I think my ribs crack.
"Hi, Levy-chan." I don't think I can sound any more sullen.
"What's wrong? Is it true what everyone is saying?" She asks me. What do I tell her? I was supposed to marry a stalker, but my friend threw away his future to save me. I just shrug my shoulder and sit down in front of her. It doesn't take her long to figure out that it has something to do with Gray.
"Is it because people are finding out about you and Gray?" She has lowered her voice, even though we are the only ones sitting here. Levy likes to read in peace, so she usually sits around here, where few people come by.
"I guess." I'm actually at a loss of words. Where do I even start? I don't know, but I'll never get to it if I stay quiet. "I have to tell you something. A lot actually."
"Do you want to go somewhere quiet?" She asks and turns to see if there are fewer people elsewhere. I shake my head. It's not like I'm revealing a big secret that I don't want others to find out about. I just need to get this off my chest.
"I feel so incredibly guilty about the whole situation." I start off and wait for her response. Was that too objectively formulated? How much does Levy even know about the past few days? Should I explain it from the beginning? I think I'll have to, but I don't know if I will be able to control myself if I repeat everything that has happened.
"Why?" Her question distracts me from my thoughts and I look at Levy. Her brown eyes peer up at me from beneath her bangs. She should cut her hair, it's getting in her eyes constantly. I'm not sure if she's noticed.
"I feel bad for Gray. I've practically ruined his future." Levy prompts me to continue by nodding, "I'm so very grateful for what he's done for me, but I can't help but feel he would be happier if he hadn't. I mean, I know he's my friend and he wants to keep me safe, but what if he regrets? Or worse, what if he becomes bitter like my father? I don't think I'd ever forgive myself if he did." I really hate the feeling of tears on my face, but the feeling of dread in my stomach is worse. I guess Levy-chan must have heard from Erza, since she just hums thoughtfully in response.
"Lu-chan, do you trust Gray?" Levy suddenly asks me. I'm actually taken aback by her question.
"Of course I do." I trust him with my life.
"Then have faith in him. Gray isn't one to make rash decisions. And I don't think he'd ever regret marrying you. He'd never hurt you like that." Levy has grabbed my hand and smiles up at me. All of a sudden, the storm brewing inside me disappears and I can think clearly again. Is it really that simple? Levy leans back and taps a finger on her chin, deep in thought.
"Although you could make it up to him." She tells me with a twinkle in her eyes. That is either a sign of a brilliant idea or a crazy one. I don't know which one I fear more.
"You could be the best wife ever, and make him so happy he'd never even think about having second thoughts." She grins at me and claps her hands together gleefully. Thank god, she didn't suggest anything weird. I love this childish, innocent side of Levy. Make him happy? I had already vowed to make him happy. Then a thought occurs to me and Negative-Lucy takes the stage once more.
"What if his happiness lies with someone else?" I feel a bit embarrassed when I ask. Levy is about to answer when she is interrupted by none other than Gray.
"So this is what you've been worried about all this time?" He is standing behind me and I lean backwards to see him scowling at me. His arms are crossed and I can almost see a vein pop on his temple.
"I…" I have. It has been bugging me for nearly a week now. Gray deserves to be happy, and if that is with someone else, I don't want to stand in the way of it. He sighs deeply and runs a hand through his hair.
"We've already been over this, Lucy. It might have been a spur-of-the-moment kind of decision, but I don't regret it. You're stuck with me." He shoots me a half smile. "Now get moving, we have to go grocery shopping." He tells me and walks towards the entrance. I look over at Levy, who has been silent ever since Gray appeared. She has a huge smile on her face.
"I told you, Gray would never regret it. Think of it like this: where most people marry a lover, you got to marry one of your best friends. We both know he'd give his life for you in a heartbeat, he's just too embarrassed to admit it." Her smile widens when her eyes flicker to where our resident ice mage has walked off to.
"You are right." I look over at Gray again, who impatiently motions for me to hurry up. I can't help but smile. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I'll get through this.
"I'll talk to you later Levy-chan." I leave the bluenette with a smile and head towards the doors where Gray is waiting for me.
I apologize for some of the coming chapters being vague, but you'll get the full story soon. See you next time (=w=)/
