Back, and I believe this is the first time I've updated any of my stories within a week lol. But I guess I was simply happy to see so many favorites and follows and stuff, and gosh you guys are amazing for that, I really appreciate it.

Also, I'm sorry if it's a little late, but you know, exams. -_- Anyways, this is chapter 2, and I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Bits and Pieces

II

"Natsu.." Lucy mumbled wistfully.

"Actually, it's Gray, and if you just slept over at my place without knowing my name, that's seriously unexpected from you," a voice replied.

Wait, thought Lucy, that's not Natsu's voice. Her eyes snapped open, and the first thing she saw was Gray's face. "Oh, it's you," she groaned.

"Good morning to you, too," Gray said, pulling the curtains apart and pushing the windows open to let some sunlight enter the room. "It's a bright, lovely morning, isn't it? A perfect day to get out of bed and enjoy the weather."

"It's not such an amazing morning for me, you know," Lucy said bitterly.

Gray turned to look at the blonde. Her hair was a tangled mess, her lips were red and swollen proving that she'd been biting them non-stop, and he could tell that she'd cried herself to sleep just by taking one look at her tired eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry," Gray said apologetically. "I'm just running late for work, and I have no right to take that out on you. I seriously don't mean to be so insensitive."

"That's okay," Lucy said, smiling. "I don't think you're being insensitive. I honestly have no reason to be upset, anyway. I mean, I broke up with him, right? He should be the one upset, not me."

"That's the spirit," Gray grinned. "All right, I think I should be heading out now. You don't mind staying at home alone, do you? I mean you've been here a bunch of times, so I hope you don't mind."

Lucy shook her head. "Not at all."

"Cool," Gray said, a little relieved. "Okay, so I'll just leave the house to you. If you need anything, call me. And try not to break anything while I'm gone, okay?"

Lucy knew it was a joke, but she still raised her eyebrows, giving Gray a look that said, 'You really expect me to do anything like that?' Gray laughed and walked out. "Take care!"

Lucy heard the door slam. She sighed and lay down.

"Right," she told herself. "Time to start the day."

She got out of bed, and after freshening herself up, the first thing she did was call Levy. She knew that Levy would be worried, and she needed to let her know that everything was okay.

The phone rung a few times before switching to voice mail. "Hey, you've reached Levy, please leave a message!" said a bubbly voice, which was followed by a beeping sound. "Hey, Levy, it's Lucy," Lucy said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "I'm at Gray's now, and don't worry about me, because I'm fine. Call me as soon as you can, okay? Bye."

She sighed, hanging up. She went to the kitchen to see if there was any food that she could cook and eat. She wasn't amazing at cooking, but she could cook breakfast, thanks to Natsu.

Natsu. She had known him for a long, long time, and it still made no sense. Why would he treat her like that? He kept telling her how much he loved her, how much he cared, and how he'd never break her heart. So why did he? Why did he knowingly hurt her?

Lucy never thought of Lisanna as competition. Lisanna and her were close friends, and she knew that Lisanna and Natsu has history, but that didn't give Lisanna any reason to try to steal Natsu from Lucy. "I guess I underestimated her," Lucy muttered as she brought an egg out of the cupboard.

She pulled a pan out from one of the drawers and cracked the egg into the pan. She gently cooked the egg to make an omelette. Meanwhile, she kept thinking about where she was going to stay after leaving Gray's house. She'd sold her own house after moving in with Natsu a year ago, and she now regretted it more than anything. She wouldn't have, of course, done this if she had known. But who could've known? After all, she didn't know anyone who could tell her the future.

Maybe I should try staying at Levy's? she thought. She then remembered that Levy hadn't answered her call that morning. Lucy decided that it was a good idea to pay her a visit. She then thought about staying at Mirajane's, and realized it wasn't a bad idea. She took the omelette off the pan and placed it on a plate. In less than a minute, the omelette that she'd made with three eggs disappeared from the plate and into her stomach. She then grabbed her phone, texted Gray to tell him that she was going to Levy's and that she had the extra house keys, and sprinted out of the house, locking the door behind her.

Levy's house wasn't far from Gray's house—it only took fifteen minutes to walk there. She set off towards the house. As she walked alone, she realized how many times she'd walked the same path, except Natsu had always been beside her, holding her hand. She shook her head, trying not to think of Natsu. Instead, she admired the beautiful, scented cherry blossom trees that lined the street. It reminded her of the time Natsu had brought her an entire rainbow sakura tree just because she'd been unwell. When she thought of this, instead of making her feel upset again, it pleased her to remember how he'd once cared for her that much. How he was willing to do anything just to make her happy. Lucy shook her head. He didn't love her anymore, and she knew that. She also knew that it was time to move on.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she almost walked past Levy's house. Luckily, she saw it and walked up the path that led to the house.

The first thing she noticed was the pile of newspapers that had gathered on the porch. The second thing was that the car had disappeared. Lucy walked up to the door and looked under the 'Welcome' mat, because she knew that Levy often kept her house keys under the mat. Unfortunately, the keys were nowhere to be found. Instead, Lucy found a folded sheet of paper. On top of the folded paper, she saw the words 'To Lucy' imprinted, and upon unfolding the sheet, found a letter addressed to her.

To Lu-chan,

I'm at the Spring Carnival with Gajeel. I'm really sorry for not being at home and with you, but Gajeel and I haven't done anything together in a really long time. I swear I'll be back as soon as possible, though. And I might not pick up my phone either, but I'll talk to you first thing when I get back.
I'm especially upset about the fact that I'm not here now, especially after what happened at the club. I'm always there to talk to you about it, though. But only if you want to.
I'll see you as soon as I return!

Love,
Levy （＾ω＾）

Lucy smiled. Levy's little drawings always made her smile. She sighed. If Levy wasn't home, her only hope was Mirajane. Mirajane lived in the same region as Levy, only three houses away from Levy's house.

Unfortunately, upon reaching Mirajane's house, she realized it was hopeless, as Mirajane wasn't home either. Lucy's heart sank. Mirajane was the only person she could stay with, considering Levy wasn't at home, and Erza had moved to live with Jellal almost a year ago.

She returned home, silently wondering where she could stay. She couldn't stay at Gray's house for long. He had broken up with Juvia a while ago, but Lucy could tell that he was still hurt and upset, and he still hadn't gotten over her. At this point, she knew exactly how he felt, and how he'd felt ever since his break up with Juvia, and Lucy couldn't help but feel like he was going through so much, and she was just being a burden. But what other choice did she have?

She sighed. She didn't mind staying with Gray, but it seemed a little weird to stay at a guy's house right after breaking up with someone. But...it doesn't matter, does it? she wondered. We're friends, after all.

And Lucy couldn't imagine it ever being anything other than that.

When Gray returned that evening, the first thing he saw was Lucy standing by the kitchen doorway. She was twiddling her thumbs and staring at them, and Gray could tell that she was nervous about something. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Lucy didn't look up immediately. She didn't want to ask him. She needed somewhere to stay, but for some reason, staying at Gray's place made her nervous, and made her feel so selfish for some reason. But she had to. She had no choice. And if he said no...well, there was always the option of staying at a hotel, which is an option she didn't want to think of.

"I...I need to stay at your house for some more time," Lucy said hesitantly. "I really hope you don't mind. It's just that Levy's not in town, and neither is Mira, and I mean I could stay at a hotel but it's so lonely, so can I please stay here? Just for time, I swear I'll leave soon."

Gray stared at her with a look of disbelief on his face. He searched Lucy's face, and after noticing that she was serious, he tried his best not to burst into laughter. "Gosh, Lucy," he said, stifling a chuckle. "When I allowed you to stay here, I didn't mean that you have to go away the next day, for god's sake. And I thought you were smart." He shook his head.

Lucy looked up from her thumbs. "But I...seriously?" she asked.

Gray laughed. "Yeah. What made you think otherwise?"

Lucy looked away, embarrassed. "I just...I thought that maybe you wouldn't want to keep me here," she said. "Like maybe I'm just increasing your work, and being a burden...I really don't want to be like that."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Why would you be a burden?" he asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had Lucy just suggested that? "Lucy, you're one of my best friends. Actually, at the moment, you're my only friend. And friends aren't burdens. I enjoy helping you, and you should enjoy yourself."

Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Gray," she said gratefully. "I'm really glad you're doing this for me."

"Why not?" Gray asked. "It's what true friends do."

Lucy couldn't help herself. She ran up and hugged Gray. She didn't know what she was doing. She just needed to hug someone: a friend, a person she trusted. "You're a true friend," she said.

Gray stood there, taken aback by the suddenness of the hug. After a while, however, he found himself hugging her back.

"You too."

Yeah, pretty useless chapter, I know. Well, I'll see when I can publish the next one. Here's to a good fanfiction and hopefully good marks in the exams as well. Anyways, hope you liked it, favorite, follow, review, do whatever you want to. As usual, I'd love it if you screamed at me, the screamers are the best. But I hope you won't have to.

So yeah, happy reading!

~maddie-nee-chan