Lucy took a breath as she laid down another box of her belongings on the floor. She wiped the sweat dripping down on her forehead and headed back outside. She stopped as she saw Natsu on the staircase, carrying two more boxes.
"Damn it, Luce, why do you have so much crap?" He complained as he walked past her.
"I brought all my books. And clothes. And everything in my room." She shrugged. "How many more boxes are downstairs?"
"S-Seven." Gray panted as he reached the two. "I'm tired." He groaned as soon as he laid the box down on the floor. "You and Juvia can handle this now right?"
"Oh come on! We need all the manpower we can right now!" Lucy grinned at them and winked before heading back downstairs to grab more of her and Juvia's belongings. She stopped at the entrance when she saw a familiar scarlet haired girl approaching. "Oh, Erza!"
Erza smiled. "Hello Lucy. I heard you were moving into the apartment today, so I came to lend a hand."
"Thank you!" The blonde pointed at the pick up truck. "Its just those boxes left to be brought up."
"I see." She nodded and picked two up with ease. "Are Natsu and Gray helping?" Before the younger girl could answer, the two boys exited the building.
"Ah, Erza." Gray greeted her. Natsu then grinned.
"See? Erza's here! You don't need our help after all Lucy!" Natsu turned to run back into the building when the Scarlet's strict voice stopped him.
"Natsu…" She began. "Don't you make such delicate girls do heavy work. Lucy and Juvia helped you quite a lot when you two first moved in." Erza motioned towards the remaining boxes.
'Delicate? Erza?' The two boys thought in unison.
"Well? Aren't you going to get them?"
"Aye sir!" The two proceeded to carry them as Erza and Lucy entered the building first, chatting amongst themselves.
"How the hell did you manage to date her for a year?" Natsu whispered towards Gray as they walked behind the two girls.
"And you see why we broke up. She scares me too much." Gray shivered in fear.
The four reached the third floor and set down the boxes. "That's the last of them!" Lucy cheered and sat herself down on the floor. Erza looked around.
"Where's Juvia?"
"Getting takeout, we don't have any snacks with us." Gray answered her as he sat down on an empty chair. Erza nodded and took a seat across from him and the two began to converse in multiple topics.
Lucy glanced at the two, smiling. Despite being broken up for months, the ex-couple still conversed as if they never had an intimate relationship in the past.
Gray and Erza had been an unpredictable couple, and it had come as a huge surprise for everyone when it was revealed to them that they were going out. No one expected it. Erza had always been the 'big sister' type of everyone, being a year older than any of them. Not to mention, she scared both Natsu and Gray down to their very bones. It was sad for a bit when they have broken up due to their attitude problems, but being the people Erza and Gray were, they wouldn't let something like a breakup get in the way of the friendship they spent years on building.
One thing that was for certain in her little friend group, was that no matter what happens, they will always be friends. Always.
"Juvia is back." The blue haired girl announced as she entered through the door. "Oh hello Erza-san." She smiled at her. "Juvia brought snacks!"
At the word 'snacks', Natsu bolted out from his seat and ran to the table, rummaging through the plastic bag Juvia had been carrying like a caveman on loose, earning a kick on his calf from Erza.
"Oh, that reminds me, where's Dan, Lucy? I would have thought he'd be helping you move in today." The scarlet asked. Almost immediately, the bright atmosphere in the room suddenly began to thin out, gradually being replaced by a depressed one.
'Right, I haven't told Erza yet.' Lucy thought. "Actually…"
"Lucy got dumped." Natsu replied for her, shoving his face full fries. The blonde glared at him.
"I was the one who dumped him!" She growled at her pink haired best friend. Erza blinked, bearing a look of surprise.
"Eh? What happened?" She asked in concern. "Are you okay?!"
"Y-Yeah…"
"What did he do?"
This time it was Juvia who answered her. "Mr. Dan slept with Michelle you see." She said nonchalantly, passing out the burgers amongst her friends before Natsu devoured them all. She noticed the glare Lucy was giving her and she smiled. "Juvia figured it would be difficult for Lucy-san to say it."
The blonde sighed. Her little third person talking friend was right.
"Michelle? As in your cousin Michelle? How? Why?" It was almost comical at how Erza was acting the way Lucy should have the moment she found out. " How could she do that to you?" Gray roared with laughter.
Lucy didn't even bother to open her mouth, knowing full well someone else would be answering for her.
"Everyone knew what kind of person she was Erza." Gray said and shrugged.
"I didn't know." Lucy remarked.
"Everyone but Lucy knew what kind of person she was Erza."
The scarlet only shook her head and sighed. "Ah, I should have said something back then. I never had a good feeling about her or Dan." She clicked her tongue and stared directly at Lucy. "I'm so sorry for hesitating Lucy, please punch me."
"No, I won't." The blonde rolled her eyes and took a bite of her burger, savoring its juicy taste. "I'm so done with relationships. I think I should be just be single." She shrugged.
For a quick moment, Natsu stopped stuffing his face, but quickly reverted back to eating whatever food he could get his hands on. The action did not go unnoticed by Gray and Juvia.
"Juvia thinks otherwise Lucy-san." She began. "Lucy-san needs time to heal, but Mr. Dan being an uneducated swine is no excuse to be shutting out men."
"Juvia is absolutely right." Gray agreed. "Not every man is the same. Me and Natsu are different."
"I know, I know. I wish I could find someone who understands me like you guys." Lucy smiled at them and it took Natsu everything he had not to raise his hand and volunteer.
If only she knew.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
It had been exactly four hours later when they finished unpacking the first five boxes, and to their delight, they had mostly opened the boxes containing necessities, though the amount of time they consumed in arranging everything in order was great, and it had already been dark after. Erza had left about thirty minutes ago, saying that she had morning classes and headed home. Gray decided to take a nap on their couch, while Juvia organized everything in her bedroom, and Natsu was probably stuffing his face with the leftovers from earlier.
Lucy on the other hand, sat on her bed, finally finished with the last box that contained her personal belongings. She was tired, though not from the hard work she put into unpacking everything, but she felt restless.
The blonde stare at her toes, noting that she should probably remove the chipped , crimson coloured nail polish. It only reminded her why she had it.
It reminded her of Dan's hair. Also the fact that it was Dan who painted her toenails.
And about him, she wondered how he was doing. Was he devastated she was out his life? Did he regret cheating?
….Or was he with Michelle again
She felt her heart tear once more. Just the mere thought of Dan was damn painful.
Earlier on the day of their horrible breakup, he had been so sweet, so romantic, so normal. The kiss he gave her when he came to pick her up from her house had been very intimate, the kind that would make her heart melt and bring her to her knees. He laughed, he joked around, and he had been so affectionate. How was she supposed to know that the romance she had so blindly accepted would come crashing down on her that afternoon?
It hurt her how easily he deceived her. How he acted so normal as if he 'd never done anything wrong. It made her think of all those times he never answered her phone calls, didn't respond to her texts, and the times he told her he was too 'busy' to hang out.
Where was he really during those times? Was that the clue that she was being toyed with?
It made Lucy doubt everything that had happened the past month. Before she knew it, tears began to prick her eyes and she let out a silent sob. She rubbed her tears away with the back of her hand in irritation. She didn't want to cry. But everything that had happened was just so fresh, so recent.
It pissed her off even more because she didn't know who to place the blame on. Dan, the horrid traitorous bastard? Michelle, the hoe who couldn't contain her sexual desires? Or herself, the woman who was too stupid to realize that she was being fooled?
Another sob escaped her lips. Lucy placed a hand on her lips, covering it in an attempt to contain the cries she had been making.
Though, before she could even breathe to calm herself down, the door opened and Natsu came barging in.
She looked at him in surprise and he frowned at her, closing the door behind him.
"I… uh, heard you crying." He whispered.
Damn Natsu and his weirdly enhanced senses. She should have locked her door, both him and Gray had bad habits of entering places without so much as a knock.
The pink haired man sat beside her, and she felt the weight of her mattress shift.
"I know its kinda cliché to say this to person going through a breakup but… He really didn't deserve you." He said, though his eyes refused to meet hers. "That asshole never deserved someone like you anyway. And you... ya know." He shrugged.
"I know what?" She asked softly, sniffling.
"Well, you really shouldn't cry about someone who would be willing enough to betray you."
"I'm crying because I feel betrayed, Natsu."
"Okay I just think… you shouldn't bother with thoughts like why weren't you enough or what did you do wrong or why did he do that. Things like that. It only makes you cry even more and Luce… I hate it when you cry." He finally looked at her, his onyx eyes piercing through her brown ones.
"You hate it? Does it annoy you?"
"No! It doesn't. I just… I don't know how to make you feel better when you're crying. And It makes me want to go to that guy and punch him the face."
Lucy let out a soft laugh and leaned her head against Natsu's shoulder. His words warmed her heart.
He clearly never realized that even as kids, he knew exactly how to make her tears stop. He always knew just how to make her feel more than what she thought she was worth.
"Thanks Natsu. You, Gray and the others are like… the best people I could ever ask for. I've been a crappy friend to you the past year." She says and Natsu shook his head.
"Forget about that."
"No Natsu. I'm sorry. I was so distant from you guys, I barely had time for you and… I feel horrible. I wish I could just… rewind it all back and make the right choices."
"Hey, it's us now. The old band is back together and… we all love you. So don't apologize, if anyone should be saying sorry, it should be that bastard for making our blonde princess cry." He flashed her his trademark grin, and Lucy felt her eyes tear up again.
"Damn it Natsu. Has anyone ever told you that you deserve every good thing in this world." She told him and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Whoever gets to keep you as a boyfriend better be fucking thank their lucky stars every stars every day because you are just… so worth it to have." She said to him.
Natsu felt his cheeks burn, but her smiled and hugged her back. "Oh she just might. I'll make sure she does."
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
"Gray-sama." Juvia shooked the sleeping black male's shoulder. "Gray-sama., are you planning to spend the night here?" She whispered, a little louder this time. The man ignored her and turned his back, snoring.
The blue haired girl sighed and shook her head, wrapping her blanket around him. She smiled to herself as she looked as his sleeping face, blushing. Gray looked absolutely adorable and angelic while he's asleep.
"Yo, Juvia." She felt her cheeks heat up as she stood immediately at the sound of the voice. She turned to find Natsu leaning against Lucy's bedroom door, smirking at her. "If ya keep staring at ice princess like that, he might melt."
"J-Juvia was not staring." Juvia looked away.
"Of course you weren't."
"J-Juvia j-just finds his face very um… admirable…."
"Okay." Natsu shrugged and walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. "You know if you like him so much, maybe you should just tell him."
"Juvia doesn't think Natsu-san should be saying that to her. Juvia thinks its very ironic." The girl pouted and crossed her arms.
"Yeah, I guess I'm one to talk."
"Besides, Juvia doesn't want to end up like Gray-sama and Erza-san. It's a very complicated relationship."
"Mm." Natsu nodded. "I know the feeling. But what makes you think you'll end up like them?"
"Gray-sama looked like he really loved Erza-san, and they didn't work out." Juvia walked over to Natsu, seating herself at a chair by the table. "Its scary for Juvia to think that she might ruin every kind of relationship she has with Gray-sama."
The salmon haired man frowned. "Just cause he and Erza broke up doesn't mean you'll end up like them. They broke up 'cause Erza had a tendency to be controlling and Gray liked being a free man who did whatever he wanted. I mean come on, you know Gray."
"Isn't Natsu-san afraid that he might ruin his relationship with Lucy-san if he continues to pursue her?"
Natsu smiled. "That's why you make sure you don't get to have doubts."
"Juvia-san will think about it then." The blue haired girl smiled. "Will you be spending the night here?"
"Depends, there any room for me?"
"Out with it Natsu-san, you want to sleep next to Lucy would you not?"
"Of course I do."
"I think the excuse of Gray-sama taking the couch is acceptable."
Natsu laughed. "Then she'd tell me to go sleep on my own apartment."
"Wouldn't you tell her that you would be afraid to be all alone tonight?" Juvia crossed her arms, a smug look on her face. "We all know Lucy-san would never kick you out."
He shrugged. The girl was right. He turned back to enter Lucy's room once again , muttering a good night.
Of course he'd use any excuse to spend the night with the girl he loved.