AN: I'm going to start putting the days in which these chapters occur to help prevent confusion. :)
Chapter 10
Lucy P.O.V. (Wednesday)
I woke up with yet another wide smile on my face and clutching Plue close to me. Ever since I met Natsu and the others, I'd been so much happier.
"Nothing can bring me down!" I thought as I quickly got ready for school.
There was a knock at the door as Virgo's voice sounded through, "Princess, your father would like to speak to you before school."
Okay, that definitely brought my mood down. Perhaps I spoke too soon. Sighing, I grabbed my things and headed for my father's study. A scowl etched itself onto my face as I knocked on the wooden door.
"Come in," Papa instructed.
I sighed once again and threw open the heavy door and stepped inside.
"If this is about me meeting suitors, the answer is still no," I boldly stated, staring at him defiantly. I was never going to back down on this.
Jude looked up from his paperwork and scowled. "I see. Actually, I was going to tell you that I have a business trip this weekend so I will be gone Friday through Sunday. Anyways, I've been speaking to Capricorn and he informed me that perhaps an arranged marriage isn't the best idea."
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped on its hinges. "R-Really?"
"Do not stutter. Anyways, yes. I suppose I see his point. You're much too rebellious for somebody of high status to want to marry anyways."
"Gee, thanks," I sarcastically muttered.
"Do not speak in that tone with me, I was just doing what was best for you," my father stated.
With that, I faced Jude with upmost rage and questioned, "What's best for me or what's best for your company?"
"Both. Listen, Lucy. Our company is failing, and marrying you off would surely bring in some money but that isn't the sole reason I was going to have you meet suitors."
"Oh yeah? Then why else?"
Papa frowned and I could've sworn his eyes softened as he explained, "You are naïve, child. You do not understand how the world works. The world revolves around money. If you were to marry one of the suitors I saw best, you would always be financially stable, allowing you to get into any university and to care for your children the best. You could provide them with anything their hearts desire."
It was then that I saw he truly believed he was doing the best for me. He was delusional of course, but he was trying.
"I don't need money," I whispered, feeling tears prick my eyes at the revelation of the possibility of my dad caring about me. "I don't need any of that."
"You think that now," Jude began, "but that is only because you do not know what it is like to be dirt poor like I do."
"You mean like Mama was?" I asked. "That's how you two met, I know the tale. You were both poor! And yet you found love! Money isn't what is important!"
"No, but it is what allows you to protect those that are. How do you think your mother lived as long as she did? It's because we had money to continue her treatments. Lucy… I know I haven't been the best father-"
"Oh really?"
"But believe me when I tell you that I am looking out for you."
I stared into my father's eyes and studied them hard. They weren't cold and harsh like usual… Instead they were soft… I hadn't seen his eyes so tender in so long. Unclenching my fists, I sighed.
"I understand," I finally said. "But I want to do things my own way… I don't need all of this. I've seen people that are poor living much happier lives than us… I… I just want happiness."
"Money can grant that, Lucy!" my father said almost desperately.
"No it can't," I argued. "Only love can. If you want to be a better father, then open your eyes and realize that! I don't need my father's money, I need my father's love!"
And with that, I stormed out of the room. He cared. My father actually cared. He didn't show it well, not even close, but just knowing it gave me hope for our future. I was nowhere near able to forgive him and I wasn't sure if I would be anytime soon, but there was hope. Hope that I very much needed.
"Thank you for talking to him," I told Capricorn once I got in the car.
"Don't mention it," he replied. "Being your father's assistant along with your chauffeur comes in handy, doesn't it?"
"It does," I answered with a giggle.
"So, care to tell me what you were doing in that run-down apartment the other day?"
"U-Uhh, I was just-"
"The truth."
Sighing, I nodded and answered, "I was hanging out with my friend." I purposely left out the part that my friend happened to be a guy.
Capricorn nodded as well and said, "Let me guess, this whole tutoring thing is a lie isn't it?"
"You got me. But you know Papa would never let me hang out! C-Can we keep this just between us?"
Capricorn frowned and replied, "I'm not sure. What if your friends are dangerous? Perhaps I should check them out first. After all, Layla entrusted me with your safety."
I smiled sadly and replied, "They aren't dangerous. But thank you for being concerned."
When we finally got to the school, I bid Capricorn goodbye and quickly rushed to the classroom, eager to see my friends. When I got inside, the only ones there were Levy, Gray, and Gajeel, surprisingly all sitting together.
"Morning, Lu-chan!" Levy greeted.
"Morning, everyone!" I replied. "So Levy-chan, are you ready for Erza's training?"
"No way!" the bookworm shuddered. "My legs are still sore from Monday!"
"Mine too!"
"That's because you lack training," Erza said as she entered the classroom, Juvia following closely behind. "Perhaps if you didn't skip training yesterday you would do better today."
"Morning, Gray-sama," Juvia greeted timidly with a small smile. It was clear to see she was trying to restrain herself and that she was still upset about Gray's coldness.
"M-Morning," the dark-haired boy replied as he looked away.
I pouted, not happy with Gray. He was so on and off in regards to Juvia! Last Friday he couldn't keep his eyes off of her and since then he kept avoiding her! Oh, he was definitely going to get it later.
"Yo, Juvia," Gajeel greeted.
I whipped my head back into reality and focused on the two. Since when were Gajeel and Juvia close? Was it because of the project? That couldn't be it since we'd only been working on it for a couple of days.
Yet Juvia instantly brightened and replied, "Hello, Gajeel!"
I heard a quiet scoff and turned to find Gray, who was sitting behind me, cursing under his breath while he undid the top buttons of his shirt and removed his tie.
"So he's jealous?" I laughed and whispered to him, "That's what you get!"
Gray arched a brow in irritation and replied, "What are you talking about?"
"That's what you get for being cold to Juvia! Now you're jealous!"
The boy's cheeks grew pink as he repeated, "J-Jealous? No way! I just get tired of hearing that lug-nut's voice!"
"Whatcha two whispering about?" a sudden voice asked from beside me. I turned to find it was Natsu smiling at me with a wide grin and curious eyes.
"Oh nothing," I answered, giving him my full attention. I could tease Gray later but for now all I wanted was to talk to Natsu.
Natsu eyed the two of us before replying, "Wanna come over to my place again today? Maybe you can actually get a kill in Call of Duty this time!"
"Wasn't that so much fun, Lu-chan?" Levy gushed. "I actually got a kill when you got off!"
"You did!?" I asked in excitement. "Wow, good job! I think Natsu's controller is broken or something because I didn't get any kills!"
"Oh really?" Natsu smirked. "Because when you left I got a bunch of kills, so it's obviously not the controller."
"Juvia wants to play too!" the blunette cried out. "Juvia's never played Call of Duty before! Juvia would like to play with Lucy and Levy!"
"Oi, why don't you come over then after school?" Gajeel suggested.
I heard a choking sound behind me, knowing fully well it was Gray. I had to suppress my laughter.
"Yeah!" Levy agreed. "We can all play!"
"Really? You two don't mind?" Juvia asked.
"Of course not," Gajeel answered. "You've been to my place before, why would I care now?"
"Wait, what!?" everyone, myself included, screeched.
"Juvia's been to your place before?" Erza questioned, her cheeks turning pink. Clearly she was getting the wrong, or what I assumed was wrong, impression.
"Yep!" the said girl answered cheerily. "Gajeel and Juvia used to play together every day! Gajeel was Juvia's best friend!"
"Don't go sayin' stupid things," Gajeel chided, though the small smile on his face betrayed his words. "So you comin' over after school or not?"
"No," Gray suddenly said. Everyone turned to look at him. He had his arms crossed over his now bare chest, his cheeks were red, and he had a scowl plastered to his face. "Juvia can come over to my place and play with me."
I watched as Juvia's eyes widened and her usually pale face turned crimson. Usually she would be gushing over the mere fact that Gray simply said her name, but she was completely silent as she searched Gray's eyes for answers.
"You jealous?" Gajeel teased.
"No way!" Gray denied again. "But nobody likes playing split screen or waiting for a turn so she can come over and play on my Xbox…"
"Wow, good one," I whispered to Gray, chuckling at his blushing face.
"Well, regardless of what Juvia and Gray are doing," Erza began, narrowing her eyes at me and Levy, "you two are training with me after school."
"But I wanna hang out with Lucy!" Natsu whined cutely.
"Too bad," the redhead replied. "They need to train."
"Why doesn't Juvia have to train?"
The girls and I awkwardly chuckled and Erza lied, "She's too busy. Now, Lucy and Levy are training with me after school and that's final."
Natsu opened his mouth to protest when another voice cut him off.
"You should know that when Erza gets serious about something, you just can't win against her," Jellal said with a smile as he entered the class and stood by the said girl.
Erza tensed and I swear I could see her cheeks growing pink while she avoided Jellal's gaze. I definitely needed to find out more about those two. My eyes widened as I recalled my father's words from earlier.
"I have a business trip this weekend so I will be gone Friday through Sunday."
Before I disregarded those words because my father was always gone on stupid trips, but now…
"How could I have never thought about this before!?"
"Erza, Levy-chan, and Juvia!" I suddenly cried out with a huge grin and bright eyes. Everyone jumped at my sudden outburst and looked at me expectantly. "Come over to my house this weekend! Let's have a sleepover!"
The girls' eyes widened and they too smiled.
"Really!?" Levy squealed with equal excitement.
I nodded my head with such speed it probably looked like my head was going to pop off.
"I don't get it," Gajeel began, "is having sleepovers that big of a deal to girls?"
"It is when it's at Lucy's house!" Juvia answered, clasping her hands together.
"We've never been to Lucy's house," Erza added.
"I've only seen the outside of it once!" Levy chimed in.
"But haven't you guys been friends for a while?" Natsu asked. "How come none of you have been to her house before?"
The three girls looked at me, probably wondering if they should tell Natsu or not.
"Let's just say I haven't had the opportunity to invite them," I vaguely answered, followed by a weak chuckle. "But now I do! And hey, you guys can come over too! It'll be like a fun little party!"
"Are you sure about this?" Erza asked warily. "I know your… situation is a bit strict."
"Don't worry so much, Erza! The situation has been handled!"
"I don't get it," Natsu began with a puzzled face, "what situation are you two talking about?"
"Nothing! So is that a plan? Girls spend the night Friday and the guys come over Saturday!?"
Gray chuckled and replied, "You sure are excited about having friends over."
"That's because I've never had friends over before!" I informed him. "So is that a plan or not!?"
Everyone nodded and my grin grew wider in anticipation. I could feel Natsu's curious eyes watching me, probably thinking I was overreacting, but I shrugged it off. In that moment I was so happy and I couldn't wait for the weekend.
Gray P.O.V.
Once class started, we were immediately told to get in our pairs. Lucy spent the whole time either gushing over the weekend or scolding me for being so distant with Juvia. Oh, and teasing me for inviting Juvia over after school.
Eventually, school ended and I only had a minor headache. Lucy was great, she was like a little sister to me, but damn she could not stop talking that day.
When I finished packing my things, I walked over to where Juvia was waiting with a shy smile. My face felt unusually warm and my hands, which were usually cold and dry, got hot and clammy. And that was why I avoided Juvia in the first place. She was making my body do strange things and I refused to get attached.
"You ready to go?" I asked.
Juvia nodded happily and with that, we left the school in complete silence, neither of us saying a word until we got to my house.
"Is this your house?" she asked.
"Yep," I answered nonchalantly, shoving my hands deep into my pockets. "Try to ignore my family when they see you. They can get annoying."
And sure enough, when we entered, my minor headache turned into a migraine when Lyon and Ultear laid eyes on Juvia. Lyon wouldn't shut up about how beautiful Juvia was and kept asking her to go on a date with him. It pissed me off so much that I actually punched him straight in the jaw. And Ultear wouldn't stop studying Juvia as if she was some kind of foreign species or something.
"Gray's never brought a girl home before," Ultear said.
"That's it, we're going to my room!" I shouted in irritation, dragging Juvia by the hand up the stairs and to my room. I slammed the door shut to let those two idiots know not to come in.
"They seem nice," Juvia said with flushed cheeks, probably from all the attention.
"Agh, yeah but they're annoying," I replied, scratching the back of my head. Sighing, I sat on the bed and turned on my console. Staring at Juvia, who was standing and glancing around my room, I asked, "You gonna sit down? It's gonna be hard playing if you're standing up." I patted the spot on the bed beside me.
And that was a grave mistake.
Juvia clasped her hands and swooned as she plopped beside me. She clutched my arm and gushed, "Ahh! Being asked to sit be her lovely Gray-sama on his bed! Juvia is so happy!"
"Ack, get off!" I exclaimed, trying to shake the girl off. But she wouldn't budge so I sighed and accepted my fate. "Here, you aim with the left trigger and shoot with the right."
Juvia arched a brow as she took the controller, already being put in a lobby. Surprisingly, she got the hang of it real quickly and scored the second highest on her team. She gave the TV a radiant smile, I couldn't help but ogle at her.
Juvia was beautiful.
Shaking my head, I focused on the TV and saw that she was already scoring higher than everyone else.
"You sure you haven't played this before?" I asked, amazed by her skill.
"Juvia is positive," she replied. I had to admit, her speaking quirk was cute. "Though Juvia did play similar shooting games with Gajeel when she was a kid. Perhaps that is why Juvia is good at this."
A scowl immediately etched itself on my face at the thought of her and Gajeel being so close. Since when was that a thing? And why did it bother me so much?
Once Juvia finished that match, she set the controller down and focused her attention on me.
"Thank you for inviting Juvia," she said with a small smile. "Juvia was so happy."
"Ehh, it's nothing. I just didn't want you over at Gajeel's place," I replied, instantly cursing myself mentally since that was supposed to be a secret. "I-I mean, because I didn't want you playing split screen."
Juvia smiled at me as if seeing right through my lie and replied, "Juvia wouldn't have minded. Watching Gajeel and Levy interact makes Juvia happy."
"Hey, since when were you and Gajeel so close?" I asked, feeling insecure.
"Juvia wouldn't say we're close now, but we were close when we were children. Juvia was often bullied and one day Gajeel stood up for Juvia. Gajeel has always been… rough, but Juvia could see he was good. After that, Gajeel and Juvia played every day, sometimes at his apartment. But then something happened to Gajeel and he went down a dark path… One that Juvia did not want to follow, and that is how we separated."
"And then you saw him again when you transferred to this school?"
"Yep! Juvia thought he didn't remember Juvia but he did! Juvia is happy to have so many friends here!"
"Tsch. I can't believe Lucy invited him to her house though. I kinda don't wanna go knowing he's gonna be there," I muttered. I knew I was being irrational and angry at Gajeel for no reason. After all, I was grateful knowing he defended Juvia when I wasn't there. Yet I couldn't help but resent him for being so close to Juvia.
"No! Gray-sama has to go!" Juvia suddenly demanded in a serious voice.
"W-Why? It's just a party," I replied.
"This is very important to Lucy! Lucy has never had friends over because of her father-"
"Her dad?"
"Yes. Lucy's father is strict and that's why she never gets to do anything. This weekend means a lot to Lucy, so you will go."
My cheeks flushed under Juvia's stare, surprised that she was looking at me like that. Usually she only had heart eyes for me, but seeing her like this was a refreshing sight.
"Alright, I'll go. Hey, about Gajeel..." I began, remembering something Ultear told me years ago when she first met the boy. "Is the dark path you're talking about when he joined the gang Phantom Lord?"
Juvia's eyes widened as she questioned, "He told you!?"
"No, my sister did. It's actually a really long, complicated story."
"Juvia has time."
I studied Juvia for a little bit, wondering if I should really tell her. I was met with Juvia's serious gaze, knowing I had her undivided attention and that soothed me.
"After my parents died, I was adopted by a lady named Ur. Ultear is Ur's biological daughter, Lyon was adopted like me. Anyways, after Ur died, Ultear got into some trouble… She started dealing drugs, the hardcore ones. The ones that can kill easily. That's actually how I know Jellal."
"Jellal?"
I nodded and continued, "Jellal was her partner. Well, more accurately her pawn. She got the drugs and had Jellal sell them, which was the risky job. Anyways, Ultear eventually cleaned up her act surprisingly without ever getting caught once and she's been taking care of Lyon and me since then. But when Gajeel came over the first time Ultear told me she recognized him from one of the gangs she dealt with before she stopped. I don't think either Gajeel or Jellal know that I know any of this about them."
"Juvia is glad everyone is redeeming themselves," she said. "And Juvia is also glad you trust her to tell her all of this."
"Me too," I replied in a surprisingly husky voice.
My eyes darted to her lips and I had to shake my head to look away.
"Gray!" Ultear's voice rang out. "Why don't you and your girlfriend come down for some dinner?"
"Ahh, Ultear called Juvia Gray-sama's girlfriend!" Juvia gushed, latching herself onto me.
Usually I would push her off, hating how clingy she was but…
Maybe this side of her wasn't so bad either.
Natsu P.O.V.
Thanks to Erza stealing Lucy away after school, I had no choice but to go home and actually do homework. I wasn't the smartest kid in school but I wasn't the dumbest either, despite what the rest of the guys say. I actually excelled in Chemistry and I wasn't too bad at Math either. English was my worst subject. Something about my vocabulary wasn't right apparently. Who in the hell said "ain't" isn't a word? I want to kick their ass.
Anyways, I rushed through my homework, waiting for Lucy to be done with her stupid training. Sheesh, why did they need to train? It wasn't like they were going to win anyways.
I actually forgot about the contest until Lucy brought up her first training session on Monday. That was what brought us all together. Because we had different thoughts on where we should go for our fieldtrip, I met my best friend. In the end, the contest wasn't even important anymore. Though, beating Lucy would still be entertaining so of course I was still intending to do that.
"Happy, why is Lucy taking so long?" I asked.
Happy only meowed at me and walked away.
Man, life really was boring when Lucy wasn't with me. What did I even do before I met her? Oh right, play video games all day. Too bad I wasn't in the mood to do that.
Finally, my phone buzzed and I leapt across the couch to grab it. I smiled seeing it was a text from Lucy. After she left last night, she actually stuck to her word and texted me. We texted for hours until she wimped out and went to bed at only one o'clock in the morning.
"I can't feel my legs," the text read, causing me to laugh.
"You'll get used to it eventually," I replied.
Lucy texted back right away, "No way. After our match, I'm never running again!"
"Aww, don't wimp out Lucy! How are you going to survive the zombie apocalypse if you can't run? :("
"I'll just let them get me. :)"
"That's stupid! I guess I'll just have to carry you when the time comes."
"I guess so. Ugh, I don't wanna go home. It's so boring there."
"Then come here! :D"
"I wish. :( Hey, what did you get on that math test? I got a B-."
"HA! I GOT AN A-"
"No fair! My grades have been going down lately. -_-"
"Who cares? There just grades."
"*They're. And I care! Anyways, how was your day while I was gone?"
"Booooring. I just waited for you to text me."
"Aww, did you miss me? ;)"
I could feel my cheeks doing that stupid thing where they get warmer and I answered, "Hell no."
"Liar. Anyways, I gotta go now. Text you later tonight?"
Frowning, I typed, "Okay. Later, Luce."
"Bye, Natsu."
And with that, I sat on my couch waiting again for Lucy to text me. I'd never been so dependent on somebody before and yet I was so attached to Lucy and I didn't even know why.
"What's wrong with me?"
AN: It's gonna be a while before we get to the contest btw. :)
ThatOneFriend-3: Thank you haha! Tbh that was a typo. My hand typed out Caprisun even though I was thinking Capricorn and I thought that would be perfect for Natsu lmao. :D
Lunahartz: Your friend is probably awesome then. ;D And thanks as always sis! :D
FireShifter: We'll just have to see if Jude finds out or not! ;D Thank you for another awesome review! :D
Lucydragneelft13: Ahh good thing I update on Mondays to tell you I hope you did a good job! :D
Soul Eater Maka: Thank you. :) Well really Lucy is the one learning but Natsu will hopefully learn eventually. :)
Avhaskake: I'll probably end up adding Cana and Mira just because I love them so much but they won't be important lol. :)
Luna: Imma say Jerza! :D And if I can't say Jerza then... Mira and Laxus. :) Wbu? :D
Alexa60765: Haha yay for this long chapter! :D
SingingAngel327: Natsu is a patient friend. :') And Erza is an overtraining demon haha! :D
Nalulove: AHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!