Note: From now on this isn't in Lyon's POV, though I can make it back like that if you prefer it that way
"YOU CAN GO BITE ME!"
"With much pleasure, my dear~"
"AND STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"
Gray stormed down to the dungeons, footsteps heavy and breathing harsh showing his clear irritation. He walked down into the dark and lit one of the wall torches, shedding some light onto his friends before going to the wall at the very end and slamming his back against it with a hissed out grunt. He folded his arms over his chest, breathing heavily still, and kicked a foot up to balance on the wall behind him too. The black marks didn't cover his skin right now.
"Is that prick still bothering you?" Natsu growled out.
"Yeah but that's Jerome for you, nothing you can do there but try and restrain him. I swear to God above he is the first of them Ii would kill if I ever got the chance. He's annoying, he's supremely flirtatious, and he's just the biggest jerk I've ever met in my entire life".
"How'd that meeting go? Not well I take it" Lyon asked, slightly curious but silently asking if Gray himself had been hurt by one of Avatar's brutish members.
"I'm on night guard duty for now until Master Arlock gives me some sort of assignment. Which means I'm down here with you lot every night. Although, when I'm let off this duty, I'm allowed to take one of you to my quarters until I can get all of us out of here. But picking one of you is kinda hard because who knows what those lot will do to the rest of you..."
"And you don't want to look like your favouring anyone, how sweet Gray darling" came the most irritable voice known to mankind.
Gray snarled. "I thought I told you to go bite me!"
"Darling, you did but I decided I couldn't wait for that much longer. Why don't we give your friends here a little show~?"
"Go fuck yourself".
"Or what? You'll do it yourself for me? How delightful but baby I'm afraid I'll be topping you".
"Fuck. Off. Jerome".
Jerome walked closer to the irritated boy and gripped his chin, forcing him not to turn away. Gray growled again and shifted his foot before thrusting it forward and kicking Jerome right in the crown jewels, sending him flying back a few good footsteps. Gray took up a defensive stance as Jerome picked himself up with a smirk.
"Oooh, you're so much more attractive when you're feisty. I love getting you all hot and bothered, Gray".
"Jerome!" came a more feminine voice. "Jerome, we have to go!"
Jerome sighed. "Alright, I'm coming! See you later baby" he winked at Gray and blew him a kiss to which Gray turned his head and silently gagged at the action before Jerome turned away and headed back up to the guild hall.
Gray sighed in relief once he was alone with his friends again and slumped down to sit on the floor, being somewhat level with everyone else. "I hate him so much you guys have no idea how badly I want him lying dead..." he huffed and drew a knee to his chest, wrapping his arms round it and was then drawn into his own thoughts before Lyon snapped him out of it. "Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just regretting something again".
"What is it this time?" the white haired mage asked.
"I...I had to do something very wrong to be accepted into Avatar..."
"Go on...what did you do?"
"...Cold blooded murder..." A stunned silence. "I didn't want to, I swear! I just...I had to... There was no way out of it, you guys... Jerome handed me his sword and I just did it...and it's not easy living with that. It wasn't just some old man or woman who didn't have long left. It was..." Another silence. "It was just a kid...an orphan in fact... We found a destroyed house and searched for anyone, then we found him...this kid was terrified... He reminded me of myself and I felt so sick with myself for just stabbing the sword straight through this kid's heart..." Tears ran down his cheeks as he clenched his eyes shut and draped an arm over them. "He was just an innocent kid for Heaven's sake..."
"You...you killed a kid...?! Why didn't you just quit while you were ahead Ice Prick?!" Natsu yelled but Lucy interjected.
"Natsu, don't! If the book of E.N.D. means so much to Gray and being here is his only way of getting it then I don't blame him at all. Sure, it wasn't the right thing to do but Avatar is a dark guild, you have to remember that. And we all know Gray would never kill someone, not ever unless his life depended on it".
"I understand but he's still partly a traitor in my eyes. I mean, what's to say he's not faking about being part of their little games. He already abandoned Juvia back in that town six months ago, what's to say he'll leave this place one day 'following his destiny' and not come back for us?"
"How can you even say that about him?! He's your best friend Natsu! Whether you want to admit that or deny it, it's the truth".
"She's right..." Lyon reached out a hand to his lover, who slipped out an arm to take hold of his wrist in return. "He only did what he had to. It's a cruel world, especially after all he's gone through in 19 years. Avatar was the only ticket to survival he had at the time it seems and if that meant killing a kid to get in then so be it. I know if you were in his situation, you'd do the same, right Salamander?"
Natsu went to counter Lyon's statements but was at a loss for words. It was true what he said, if anyone else had been in Gray's position at the time then they'd probably have done it too. And who knew what Gray had been threatened with if he refused to kill the kid. The Fire Dragon Slayer sighed and looked away. Suddenly some more light was shed onto the area and Gray slowly looked up to see who it was.
Goumon and Mary.
Gray shifted himself to straighten up in the presence of the senior guild members and let out a shaky breath as the two grew closer. Mary seemed delighted when she saw him and proceeded to bounce on over to him with a sickly sweet smile, hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. "Good evening Gray!"
"Good evening Mary...Goumon... What brings you two down here?"
"Why we'd love to torture your little friends here, Master Arlock just had to cast out a little rat from our ranks. A spy". Gray's eyes widened slightly at Goumon's words and he looked up more at the other man, curious.
"Who?"
"A girl by the name Levy McGarden I think it was. Old guildmate of yours, right? Like this lot". Mary chipped in.
"Yes, that's true...so why come to me about it?"
"She works for The Magic Council now, Fullbuster". Goumon chuckled darkly. "Don't worry, Abel was sent to make sure she didn't come back into our borders".
"She's not dead, right?" Gray's eyes were hopeful but then quickly were masked by a dark grunt. "N-Not that I'd particularly care at all..." He'd known Levy since she'd joined the guild as a young child and had partly taken care of her as an older brother figure for that time. She meant a lot more to him than most people knew.
"No, she's not. Abel just gave her a smack about here and there until she ran off on her own back to The Magic Council I suppose. They'll be thinking of attacking us soon, Fullbuster, I bet. And by that time you better be clear on what side of this you're on".
"Yep! Better decide quickly because Jerome's bound to ask you about it next time you two cross paths. Also, if you make the right decision then I heard Master Arlock is thinking of giving you a little promotion". Mary giggled.
Gray folded his arms across his chest. "Promotion? What kind of promotion?"
The girl tapped a finger on her chin and hummed thoughtfully before shrugging. "Who knows? Anyway, we'd better get back and leave you here for night guard duty".
"But first," Goumon smiled sickeningly and strode toward Gray, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him to the wall he was already up against. He squeezed the boy's neck a little more, causing him to struggled and choke, before bringing up his other hand to Gray's arm and twisting it until there was a sickening sound of cracking before Gray was dropped to the floor and curled up in pain, holding his arm protectively to his chest. "Jerome thought you deserved that for kicking him earlier".
Gray winced and softly whimpered at the intense pain shooting through his arm as the two left the group alone. Once the shock of injury had passed, Gray sat up clumsily and cradled his arm against him, breathing shaky and hard. "Damn them...I should've been prepared for that..."
"How badly hurt is it?" Wendy asked instantly, but then remembered she couldn't use her healing magic on him thanks to the anti-magic cuffs she wore. "Sorry, nevermind..."
"It's okay, I'll be fine. I've gone through worse than a fractured arm, or a broken one at that. I'll talk to Briar in the morning, she'll be able to bandage it up in a makeshift cast or something for the time being until I can go out and find a healer in town".
"Or I could do that for you now". came a female voice, though slightly deeper than Mary's. Briar walked down to their area and kneeled in front of Gray, gently tugging his arm toward her (and apologising softly for it when he winced and hissed) and carefully wrapping it up in the makeshift sling she made for him. "I had a feeling they'd do that once Jerome told them to 'give you something from him'. The dirty blond pig needs some lessons on life, I swear". She tied the sling up on his shoulder and stood back to admire her handy work before nodding and giving a genuine smile. "You're not so bad, kid. Jerome's always been a bastard since I met him the first time too. He's taken quite the shine to you though, but you can deal with that it seems. Honestly Gray, I'll help you, but once you're done with Avatar for whatever you need it for, run. Run away and never look back at your time here. It'll only destroy you if you do".
"Thanks Briar..." Gray said, a little unsure but fairly confident that he understood what she meant. The female cloning mage patted him gently on the head before taking her leave. Gray watched her go before curling up against the wall on his side facing Lyon, who gave him a sympathetic look but Gray just smiled reassuringly and inched himself closer to the other ice mage. "You guys should sleep...it'll be a long time until morning hits us".
So, you guys like this still? Still want more of it? ;)
And for those who are wondering, I do actually ship Gray x Jerome and Gray x Briar :D I also kinda ship Jerome x Briar too..
