Aye...I just realised we're nearly done with the first half. This adventure is to solely focus on Lyon's story, and then the second half will be fulfilling Gray's quest that Amora gave him. I hope people are still enjoying this fanfic, it's not usually a genre I work with but I'm trying ^^; Also I know you're probably eager for them to get together officially and for Gray to just accept the fact that he's in love and yada yada. I promise we will get there eventually.
The shipwreck was dark, dusty and damp. Very little light filtered in through holes in the sides or the decking up above. When they'd entered the wreckage, Gray had noted that it was tilted slightly onto it's side and they'd had to climb up a bit to actually get inside. The floorboards creaked eerily with each step the two men took and in a moment when a plank from above fell at Lyon's feet, he instinctively held onto Gray's wrist as some sort of guide.
Despite having a resistance to the cold back home, Gray could evidently feel it now - and it unnerved him a little. He even caught himself shuddering and shivering every now and then but if Lyon noticed, he didn't let it be known. The gentle breeze from outside on the shore sounded like a deep, moaning howl when it whistled through the wreckage. But Gray did notice a shiver ripple down Lyon's spine beneath his shirt - so even he felt a bit on edge in this place despite his earlier eagerness.
"Do you think we'll even find anything valuable in here?" Gray asked, sounding slightly uncertain as they continued their exploration.
"Who knows?" Lyon answered with a shrug. "That's the beauty of it though. Nobody's searched this thing for years it looks like, so there's a good chance that we get the things they missed. Like finding secret storing holds and stuff - loose floorboards or a compartment hidden behind a photo". He smiled brightly in the dark as they came to a door. "My guess is that this is the captain's quarters". He gripped hold of the doorknob and pushed the door in with the help of his foot. It creaked as it moved and dust fell down making Lyon cough roughly. Gray gently rubbed the upper part of his back between his shoulder blades and Lyon looked back at him with a thankful look in his eyes before he led them through the crumbling doorframe.
The captain's quarters were even darker and much, much dustier. The two stood side by side, glancing around to see if they could spot anything of interest or importance. Both seemed too afraid to touch anything to search more since everything looked a crumbling wreck and would most likely shatter into a pile of nothing at the most gentlest touch. Gray's eyes wandered and locked onto something big at the back that seemed to be cushioned for protection. He tapped Lyon's shoulder to get his attention and nodded in the direction he was looking at. Then Lyon saw it too.
"Wanna check it out?" the older male asked with a smirk.
"Sure, if you can find a way over that's safe enough".
Lyon laughed a little and tentatively made his way over to what they had both seen. Once he was sure the creaking floor would hold him for the time he needed, he found that their object of interest was covered with a thick blanket and tied down to some rusting nails. He easily managed to pull the blanket free and threw it off to reveal a very large egg with a decorative yellow pattern around the lower half. He frowned and looked back at Gray.
"Do you recognise this?"
Gray took two steps forward and Lyon moved aside slightly so he could get a decent look. Gray took in the shape and pattern and then a very distinctive memory flashed in his mind. That was...
"That's an Exceed egg!" He exclaimed. "It looks too familiar, just a different colouring. Natsu brought Happy's back to the guild when we were kids..." If he was honest enough, he did miss his best friend a whole lot. Without Natsu around, things were a lot quieter and less destructive. Gray had always sworn he'd end up going mad if Natsu ever stopped doing what he did best, and now they were separated and he was surprised he hadn't broken down.
"An Exceed egg? So...oh, that means that Frost isn't the only one of her kind!"
"Exactly. Why, is she the only Exceed you've seen?"
Lyon nodded. "For me at least. Where I'm from there's no creatures like her. There were some creatures like griffins and dragons but no Exceeds or the like".
"Where you- Oh, right, Ur found you and took you in, didn't she?" Gray was curious though. The Lyon he had always known back on Earthland had never revealed his past to anyone as far as he was aware. If he ever got back then that'd be one of the things he'd love to know. "Do you miss it, your home?"
"Huh?" Lyon looked up at him as he maneuvered the egg gently to get a good grip on it. "Not really, and my home is on the ship now. My parents don't concern me anymore".
"Were they...bad to you?" He then flushed in embarrassment and looked away from the other's gaze. "S-Sorry, not my place..."
"No, it's fine Gray. My mother was decent enough, but my father was the one who drove me away all those years ago. The selfish, heartless bastard..."
Gray decided not to say anymore but his mind couldn't help but whirl with unspoken questions. He was spooked slightly when he realised Lyon had managed to carry the egg over. They spoke with their eyes in finding out if one another were doing okay before they headed out of the captain's quarters and through the remains of the ship and finally back onto the sand where the bright light of the sun made them both squint and blink to adjust.
Lyon carefully settled the Exceed egg on the sand and placed his hand on top to keep it from rolling away. "You stay here with this. I want to just take another look in case the book is in there". He then looked around and sighed. "Frost should be back any moment". Without waiting to see if Gray would reply, he placed the other's hand on the egg where his own had been before jogging back into the ship and rummaging around.
Gray was sat on the sandy shores alone with the egg, his hand still placed firmly on top to keep it in place. He had his other hand cupping his chin as he waited for either of his companions to return - he could hear Lyon inside the ship wreckage at times. He kept wondering about Lyon's past. Where exactly had he come from? How did he and Ur come to meet? He also wondered why he'd never had this curiosity before. Was it because Lyon had always boasted about how great Ur was enough to not have Gray think about it? Or had something extremely terrible happened and Lyon had just simply wanted to forget and so brought up topics that took people's mind away from the idea? He thought back to his snowy childhood days with the person in question. Lyon had thought of himself as Ultear's replacement at one point. Had his own parents perhaps abandoned him? That thought saddened Gray.
Sure, Lyon could be a stuck up asshole at the best of times but he wasn't all bad. Certainly not bad enough to have someone want to abandon him. He thought to when Sherry had left Lamia Scale to be with Ren in Blue Pegasus - that had hurt Lyon more than he'd ever wish to confess, but Gray had seen it evidently in his eyes from time to time. Sherry had been close with him - loved him to the world's end at one point. Did Lyon regret not giving her the chance she wanted? Is that why he'd sought out for Juvia's attention even though she made it clearly evident she loved Gray and no one else? Had he been trying to tell Gray not to make the same mistake he had?
A muttering brought him out of his thoughts just in time to see Frost emerge from the jungle and fly towards him. The look of surprise on her face as she landed at his side told him she had definitely noticed the egg (not that you could miss it, exactly).
"You found that in there?" She asked in disbelief. Gray simply nodded, not trusting his voice. "Well I'll be... I didn't have any luck with the book, unfortunately. Lyon's still in there then?" A shout from the ship wreckage confirmed her question and she shook her head slowly. "I did find some gold coins but that's about it". She dug her paws into her jacket pockets and held some out for Gray to see. He smiled in acknowledgement and she flattened her ears in concern. "What's the matter? Don't tell me you two had some sort of fight".
"No..." He finally mumbled into his palm and then sighed and straightened his back as he stood up. "No, nothing like that. I was just thinking of how Lyon is back where I'm from. I know I've been with you guys for a good few weeks now but it's still something to get used to".
"Understandable. We won't pressure you into anything, and if Lyon makes an unconsented move on you then tell me and I'll be sure to claw him to teach a lesson or two".
Gray chuckled breathlessly for a moment before they heard Lyon clamber out of the ship and proceed to make it disappear again by tracing something in the air. Once it was gone, he walked back to the duo and handed over the book they'd been sent to find to Gray. Gray took it - it was leather bound with the symbol of a jackal's head engraved onto the cover. Lyon then took hold of the egg and lifted it, making sure his hold on the thing was secure.
"Alrighty, let's get back home" His smile was bright as he talked and it couldn't help but warm Gray's heart. If Lyon - either of them - didn't want to reveal himself or his story, then who was Gray to demand he had to? He smiled back, noting how Lyon's black eyes sparkled with joy at the notion.
"We're taking the egg?" Frost asked and Lyon nodded enthusiastically.
"We were allowed to take whatever we wanted, right? So why not bring home a new member of the crew?! Silver's always saying how we should rescue as well as discover if given the chance, and nobody's been to this place in what seems like forever, so I wasn't about to leave the little guy behind all alone. Besides, wouldn't you like another of your kind to be around?"
"What, to serve as a distraction so you can try charming the pants off Gray? Nice try, Captain Numbskull" Her mew was light-hearted with the hint of a purr in there too.
Lyon shook his head, still keeping the smile, and beamed them all back to the ship.
Honestly? Didn't expect to update within a day, haha