A Love That Lasts Forever

Chapter 3 – Hidden Sadness

A/N: This chapter was supposed to be beta read - honest - but FlamesOfDeath017 isn't sending me the chapter yet so... might as well just post it without it being beta-ed - nuuu. Haha, I noticed that many went crazy with the last chapter so let's see what's your reaction to this one. And yay, more long paragraphs.

WARNING: This wasn't beta read, I only proofread this.

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Hurt and Comfort, Drama, Humor

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

Gray stepped out of the convenience store, holding an ice cream cone. He tucked his free hand in the pocket of his pants and sat on a bench in a park, licking his ice cream. His photo shoot with Lucy had ended an hour ago and he left immediately. Just because he was there for her didn't mean he would chase her everywhere she went. He wasn't a stalker.

Sting's words somehow kept repeating in his mind while he walked back to the city to take a cab. He broke Lucy's heart? The thought itself made him frown. Okay, he would accept that but what about him? What about the months that he cried and sulked? What about the days he was sick from not taking care of himself properly? What about the time he was hospitalized for lack of nutrition? Was that all really taken lightly? He was placed in the Intensive Care Unit because of her and yet he says that he broke her heart?

Of course, he knew that he broke hers too, he would understand and acknowledge that but he was broken hearted too. He stayed in the hospital for days because of the fact that his body was weakening. He hadn't eaten in days and he passed out while he was having class. After three years of sulking and moping around, he decided to get over it. He couldn't show his face while still acting normally, they would just pity him.

So, when school began again and everyone asked him what happened, he gave them the cold shoulder. Everyone thought that he had gone berserk. They thought that he didn't care for anyone anymore and that he was a maniac for wanting only Lucy. They thought that he needed to be hospitalized again. He remained in that attitude, hiding his sadness away from others. He kept his negative feelings down and appeared as a cold, sick bastard who wanted nothing other than Lucy.

He started to distance himself from Lucy's friends and didn't hang out with them anymore. They started to think that he was going crazy. He was hurt when they thought of him that way but he knew that it was his fault for acting like he didn't give a damn. He knew how scared Levy was when he appeared in front of her door. He just wanted to visit her again for she was Lucy's best friend but he was nervous and ended up scaring her.

Once he was finished with his snack, he stepped inside a cab and told the driver to take him to a subdivision where a friend of his lived. He blinked and realized that he still had friends. He knew people who he could still act normal with. He still had friends that would relieve him from all of this stress.

He leaned back on his seat and sighed, feeling the weird burning feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was starting to feel sad again even though he promised himself to not feel those emotions again. But how could he do that? He saw the look on Lucy's face when she saw him. She recognized his smirk. She didn't know that he wore glasses. She didn't know that she just wore red contacts. She didn't know that Sting knew that he was the cause of her breakdown.

He wanted to tell her how much he was hurting. He knew she had moved on. He wanted her to know how big the damage she caused was. He wanted her to know that he was hospitalized because of her. He almost got fired because he kept slacking off at work because of her. But somehow, when he saw her smiling at Sting, something heavy was lifted off his shoulders and he thought, "Ah, yes… relief." But it came back when he realized that she was only acting happy around him because he was Vincent and not Gray.

"Turn left," He said, thankful that the driver was Japanese like him. He nodded and Gray resumed back to his thoughts.

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and cursed himself for not realizing his feelings earlier. He cursed himself for hurting her. He wanted to apologize to her so much. He liked having her around, she was the highlight of his day but with her gone, everything was dull and dim. Where did his light go? Why was he stuck in one place? Who was he going to turn to when he has problems with his students? Where was he going to go after taking Ace to the vet?

He ran a hand through his hair and placed his head on the window. He missed the times when he laughed with Lucy. He relished their memories up until now even though he knew that she probably didn't care about him anymore. He kept his feelings bottled up for five years that he didn't know how to respond properly anymore. When people thanked him sincerely, he couldn't feel the same way and just fake a smile. When people get mad at him, all he could do was bluntly tell them their mistakes. When his cousin died, he didn't even cry. When he was hospitalized and learned that he nearly died, he didn't feel scared. He knew he was sad but somehow, he couldn't feel it anymore.

He was empty.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that he hurt Lucy and she hurt him back. Or maybe it was because he made a mistake by getting jealous and angry over the fact that she spent so much time with Natsu that one time. For now, it was the past, everyone forgot about it already. He was like a child, holding on to the past when everyone moved on already. He was clinging too tight to his memories with her. He dreamed of her every night and she was always on his mind.

Maybe he was going crazy. Maybe he was going berserk. Maybe he does have to go to a mental institution but so what? If people denied him, he would deny them the same way. Why would he care about how they think of him? If they didn't they care that he nearly vanished from this world, why should he give a damn about what they think? If they didn't like how he acted, so be it. He wouldn't let their words bring him down.

The cab stopped in front of a yellow house and he paid the driver, stepping out. He headed straight to the front porch and pressed the doorbell. He stood there for a while and he heard yawning. When the door opened, he was met with a man with wild blonde hair and blue eyes. He blinked, "Gray?"

The said man lifted a hand, smiling slightly though he didn't really feel anything, "Yo."

"Come in," He said, stepping aside for Gray to enter. He walked in the living room and sat down on the couch, looking around. It looked like how it exactly was ten years ago. He stared at the blonde who sat across him. He stretched his arms above his head, "So, what brought you here?" He crossed his legs in a form of a number four, "I thought you were in Japan?"

"I needed a temporary job for summer break," Gray said, shrugging, "I was offered to be a photographer of some model and since the pay was good, I accepted the offer."

"Who's the model?" The blonde asked, picking up a bottle of beer from the floor and taking a swig, "Is it someone beautiful?"

Gray nodded, sighing while he massaged his temples, "Lucy Heartfilia," He looked at his friend and quirked a brow, "You know her?"

"That chick?" The blonde gawked. He shook his head in disbelief, "You're amazing, dude."

"She was my student in Japan," Gray mumbled, staring at the ceiling while he fiddled with his dog tag necklace lazily, "It's not really a shock anymore. She doesn't even know that it was me." He pulled his lower eyelid down slightly, "I wore red contacts and my glasses to hide my identity."

The other man frowned, "But why?"

"Long story, bro," The teacher merely said, heaving another sigh. Yup, it was indeed a long story. Why was he feeling so empty anyway? Shouldn't he be happy that he met his friend again? If so, why was he still feeling so blank?

The blonde chuckled, chugging the beer, "Alright then."

"Hey Laxus," Gray said, closing his eyes and placing his arms on the couch's backrest, "Can I stay here for a while?"

The said man's eyebrows rose into his hairline, "Yea, sure, but why?"

"I need a place to stay," Gray said, opening his right eye to stare at Laxus who smirked and shrugged.

"Is that really all? I know that isn't the real reason…" The blonde said, his eyes dancing with mischief. Gray chuckled and smiled crookedly, staring out the window to stare at the empty streets. He was starting to feel sleepy and he needed sleep but he didn't feel like taking a nap for one reason only.

He hummed, "Well… it's nothing you should concern yourself with."

"Okay then," Laxus said, grinning deviously, "Whatever you say."

Gray eyed the window once again before staring back up at the white ceiling, his lips tightening into a straight line, "If she really is here in Coral Way…" He closed his eyes again, "I might just be able to see her again."

A/N: I'm such a critter xD So, Gray did hear that they were going there, didn't he? So, now he's here! I'm not sure if I used Laxus already in SIL...? But if I did, please tell me so that I can change him ASAP. So, we were wrong all along! Gray wasn't crazy. He just hid himself from others - his feelings, I mean. I appreciate all of the reviews, follows and favorites. I love you all.

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