Christmas with My Former Crush
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: I only own Keirin and the plot.
"Keirin?"
"Hmm?"
"I just wan'na tell you that–"
"Yeah, shoot that frig'gin ball Hyuuga-kun!"
A pause. "Uh, Keirin?"
"Yep?"
"You see, Juvia and I–"
"YEEEEEEEEES! Three points for Seirin! Beat that Rakuzan!"
Gray sweat dropped at the twelve-year old before him. "Um, are you gon'na listen to me or what?"
The said girl frowned, turning to her sister's batch mate after pausing her episode. "It's the championship match for the Winter Cup!" she said. "And Kuroko's team's already playing against Akashi's! The Akashi Seijuro, captain of the Generation of Miracles! Seirin needs my full support right now!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Gray asked in confusion. He then heard a faint snicker coming from the stairs. He willed himself not to grit his teeth. Why on earth land did I choose dare again?, he thought.
"It's nothing," Keirin grumbled. "You're obviously not watching Kuroko no Basuke. Anyway, what were you trying tell me?"
The brunette sighed. "I broke up with Juvia," he told her. "Just now."
"What?"
"You heard me," Gray nodded before going down on one knee and taking the girl's hand. He gulped. "I love you, Keirin Heartfillia, and I always will. Will you go out with me on Christmas day?"
Keirin turned beet red. "T-T-T-That's the stupidest dare that you e-ever gave, Onee-san!" she yelled, pulling her hand away from the young man. She heard her sister burst into uncontrollable laughter once again upstairs. She turned back to the desk top. "D-Don't disturb me, alright?" she snapped at Gray who stood up and started to snicker as well. "And y-you breaking up with your girl friend d-doesn't seem right!"
Gray laughed. "Why're you blushing so hard, then?" he teased, adding more color to the young blonde's cheeks.
"S-Shut up! I'm trying to watch here."
"Alright, alright, I'll leave you," he said, ruffling Keirin's long blonde hair. "And don't worry, I won't be hitting on you. You've got the twins and I already have Juvia. No biggie." He chuckled in amusement seeing Lucy's carbon copy blush some more at the mention of Gemi and Mini. He headed towards the stairs. "I'll be going up now, or else Mom might catch me still not sleeping." Gray heard Keirin snort and mumble something about getting back at her sister by stealing the older blonde's cookie from her cookie jar. Gray chuckled again before going upstairs. "Happy now?" he asked, eyeing Lucy in amusement as the said girl tried to stop laughing too hard. She failed though.
It took a solid fifteen minutes for the blonde to calm down. Lucy took another long breath once again before turning to face Gray with a wide grin. "Dare," she said suddenly.
"What?" Lucy giggled. "I made you do six consecutive dares already," she pointed out. "So to be fair, it will be my turn."
Though his eyebrows met, Gray nodded cautiously.
"Alright," he said, "I know that there's more to that ringtone of yours so I dare you to sing it to me and explain its meaning after."
"W-W-W-W-What?"
"I thought you chose Dare?" Lucy sighed, avoiding his gaze. "Let's go to the balcony," she told him, going down the stairs.
"But wouldn't Mom and Layla-san know?" Gray asked, confused.
"Puh-lease," the blonde snorted. "It's half past twelve in the morning. Mom sleeps like a rock and since I discovered that Mom and Ur-san have a lot in common, I can safely conclude that Ur-san sleeps like a rock as well." She paused and turned to look at the brunette. "My conclusion is safe, right?"
The young man chuckled, amused, as he nodded. "Do you always sleep this late?" he asked curiously.
"Only when Kei watches those cartoons –"
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU?!" came a sudden furious shout that made the two batch mates jump. "IT'S ANIME!" A pillow then flew straight at Lucy's direction with such deadly speed and accuracy. The blonde barely had time to dodge or catch it when the said pillow collided with her face, almost knocking her off if it wasn't for Gray catching her.
A vein popped in Lucy's forehead, her fingers gripping hard on the pillow. "What the heck was that for?!" was her demand. She stomped her way towards the younger Heartfillia, leaving Gray speechless at the siblings' sudden quarrel.
Keirin scowled at the older blonde. "It's a-ni-me!" she hissed. "It's not car –" The pillow she threw was now being shoved at her face by her former victim. Lucy grumbled at the muffled protests she was getting from her sister but paid no heed.
"They. Are. Cartoons!" she snapped, irritated. There were a few more muffled sounds as Keirin tried to claw the pillow off her. Lucy snorted darkly. "Suffocate for all I care! You had absolutely no right to hit me with a such goddamned pillow with such goddamned strength for such a goddamned reason!"
Keirin pulled the pillow away from her face, gasping for air. She pouted. "You insulted anime again!" she whined. "I told you you'd get it from me if I hear another insult but you ignored my threat last time so I got back!"
"But it was barely an insult!" Lucy shot back, crossing her arms. "It's merely a fact!"
"It's not a fact! It's an offending opinion so it's considered as an insult!"
"You only get insulted when it's true!"
"But it isn't true!"
"I told you it's a fact so it is true!"
In the background, Gray chuckled, to think that the sisters who barely quarreled were fighting over the smallest things. He felt his lips curl into a soft smile. How cute.
" – What do you think Gray?"
Said teen blinked. "Eh?"
Lucy and Keirin frowned a frown so alike that it gave Gray the hives. Both pointed at the desktop screen that showed a boy with sky blue hair glaring at another boy that had abnormal red and yellow eyes. The brunette raised his eyebrows in question. "Is this an anime or cartoon?" they asked simultaneously.
Gray shook his head. "It's an animated show for young people that obviously revolve around basketball," he said. "It's actually either."
The sisters pouted. "It's no use talking to him, Kei," Lucy told the other blonde who nodded. "He can't be the referee. He's useless."
"Yeah, you're right, absolutely useless," Keirin agreed. "Let's leave this argument for next time. It's currently a draw."
"No u-use talking?" Gray sweat dropped. "A-Absolutely useless?" The two're picking on me again! he cried to himself. Like during the chess match!
Keirin nodded. "It's a draw so go on with your dare already," she told the other two. "And leave me alone with my wonderful Kuroko!" The batch mates gave each other a look before nodding, finally heading up the balcony.
Lucy's PoV
"I stared out of the window pane
Tapping my pencil to the beat of the rain,"
It was storming when I wrote this, my first ever song. Kei and Mom were downstairs making hot cocoa. We were confined inside the house because it was pouring too hard. And only a person with brains made of goop would be dumb enough to go out that day. I told the two that I wanted to sleep 'cause it was cold. I didn't get to. His face kept entering my mind every time I'd close my eyes. And with his face were lyrics with an unfamiliar came along. I needed to write it down and sing it. I had realized that those were my emotions then.
"I sighed as I took in the pain
I never thought falling in love was this hard,"
This happened the morning before I wrote the song. It was almost a month after my second year in middle school started and classes were called off that day. We got home early. This happened before earlier, before I wrote the song. He had offered to walk me home since I so stupidly forgot to bring an umbrella back then. I still haven't told anybody yet that I was crushing on him. I had politely refused, reasoning that my place was just a few blocks away. It was true. I told him to walk Juvia home instead. She was hiding behind a tree, glaring at me. On normal days I would have been creeped out but I had noticed her shivering so hard and sneezing thrice a minute so I figured she needed to be walked home more than me. He had looked more than happy when he agreed with me. I ran all the way home soaked to the bone while he and Juvia shared an umbrella, not a single drop on them, and sharing each other's warmth. It somehow hurt.
"My world first turned in a classroom scene
I listened to my teacher's droning voice,"
It was really cliché. I was staring out the window 'cause I got sick of checking my watch for the time. It was Math then. Laki-sensei caught me not paying attention. She made me recite the correct answers for numbers ten to twelve on our text book. And while I wasn't that dumb in Math, I hated algebra. I didn't know what were the answers for numbers ten to twelve on our textbook. Heck, I didn't even know what page I should be on that time!
"Then I caught him looking at me,"
He had winked at me, gesturing the answers. It was the first time I blushed because of him. It was so weird. My stomach had tumbled and turned. I had felt that fuzzy, warm feeling. He was my savior from detention. I thanked him during lunch. We became close after.
"He smiled at me and I smiled back
Not knowing it's the start of my constant heart attacks,"
It's the chorus now. He'd be able to recognize the lyrics from my ringtone. I blushed, meeting his eyes curiously. What would be his reaction? This song was written for him after all. His eyebrows met, questioning my sudden hesitance.
"What's wrong?" he asked, before smirking, "Don't tell me you're going back on our dare now?"
I managed a snort. "Not a chance," I retorted. I then looked down, pushing a few snow off the ledge and letting it fall to the balcony floor. "It's just…" I poked on the pile I made with my foot.
"Just…?" he repeated in confusion. I shrugged, making him wrinkle his nose. "Aw, come on!" he whined. "Spill the beans Luce! It's just me."
I blinked. I can't spill because it actually because of you!, I thought. I looked away nervously. "Y-Y-You do know this w-was m-m-meant for you, right?"
He looked shocked. "It is?"
I blushed furiously. "W-W-W-W-Well now you know!" I blurted out defiantly, my eyes still averted elsewhere. "A-A-A-And it's–it's e-embarrassing s-s-so d-don't think a-a-a-about the lyrics t-too much, al–alright?"
"But you're still gon'na explain its meaning after, right?" he said, sounding confused. "It's part of the dare I gave you."
I turned away. "Just –Just d-don't think I'm lovesick a-after you hear the chorus t-the chorus, okay?"
"L-L-Lovesick?" he sputtered.
Silence. Cue the freaking crickets… It's winter so where did the crickets come from? Oh, wait, what did I tell him again…? "FORGET WHAT I SAID!" I yelled, getting even redder by the moment.
He cringed. "What on earthland is happening to you, Luce?" he demanded, making me all flustered again. "And what do you mean by lovesick?"
"F-Forget it," I rubbed my temples. "This is a-absolutely awkward," I muttered. I let out a breath.
"All for him I fix my hair though before I really don't care
Now I wear pretty little dresses that I used to never wear,"
Those things, actually, were all true. I had spent time learning how to braid my own long hair and I had saved money to buy new dresses and clothes, just to impress him. I hated the fact that he hadn't made a single comment. Instead, he had eyed me from head to toe, smirked his sexy smirk, and ruffled my hair like what an older brother would do. Then he walked off with Natsu and Jellal, bickering with the former as if he was with them the whole time. Levy-chan and Anna-chan came after and complimented my look. My smile and thanks had been half-hearted. Fortunately, neither of my best friends noticed.
"Pedi cured nails with matching high heels
My boyish attitude I forced to be gone,"
I sneaked a peek at him, wondering what will be his reaction. His face was impassive, with his midnight blue eyes staring right at my soul. What was he thinking? Did he find it funny that I painted my nails just for him? Or that I became a lot girlier because he was the apple of my eye? I held his gaze as I readied myself for the last line. It came out a little too sad for my liking.
"But I know… He'll never notice for he has his heart… Of stone."
I looked down, fidgeting. "I-It's what I wrote w-w-when I realized that I–that I d-didn't have a chance with you," I muttered pitifully. All of a sudden, I wanted to shout that those cartoons Kei was watching were cartoons, so that she'd barge in (or out, 'cause we're outside) and get mad at me again. A pillow thrown in the face was a lot better than being in my situation right now. "I-I was b-bitter then," I admitted quietly. "But now I'm–" I heard his breath hitch. I looked up curiously to see that he was looking away. "H-Hey, what's–what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," he told me, jaw clenched. "What were you saying again?"
My eyebrows met in confusion. "I-I was about to say t-that I'm not bitter now," I said, tilting my head. His own head was down and his bangs were over his eyes, casting shadows that made his face darken. It was eerie. "Are you sure it's n-nothing?" I asked, worry washing over me. "You look like you have something to say." Did I say something wrong? Did the lyrics offend you somehow? I wanted to ask those questions, though the words never escaped my lips.
He then raised his head up and looked at me, expression unreadable. He strained a smile, making him appear constipated. "N-Nature's calling," he croaked beforedashing down and heading inside the house. "I-I'll be back!"
My jaw hit the balcony floor with a loud 'thud!'. What the heck?!
He really was constipated! I was worried because I thought I had insulted him then he says that he needs to go shit? Seriously? I sighed, shaking my head in amusement as I leaned on the ledge. I absentmindedly began to make a small snowman beside me. My thoughts drifted to his face. Was he holding it in ever since I began singing? Was that why I couldn't make out what's his expression? Because he needs to go to the bathroom?
I felt myself give out a small giggle, then a quiet chuckle, and finally, I burst out laughing. Damn, was that hilarious! After a few more minutes, I calmed down. The mini snowman I was trying to make looked like a deformed marshmallow. I giggled again, trying to make it look better. My efforts were useless though. So I gave up, turned so that the small of my back was against the ledge, and looked at starry night sky.
"Too many…" I whispered as I tried to count the number of stars that were above me.
I squinted and gave out a small smile, knowing I wouldn't be able to count them all. They were infinite. My smile faltered. I felt hopeless. They say that the number of guys in the world can rival the number of the stars –never ending. Meaning, my heart should be able to move on from my unrequited love because it should be able to find someone who would be able to love and appreciate it for itself. But then again, my heart couldn't. I couldn't. Because I had believed, that that someone was someone named Gray Fullbuster. And though I had said that I have moved on already, a really, really, reaaaaaally small part of me was still believing that that someone, despite our current situation, was still named Gray Fullbuster.
Little did I know that I had been mumbling my thoughts out loud. And, unfortunately, I didn't know, that that exact person I was thinking of–or talking about?
He had heard them all.
Author's Note: I'M BAAAAAAAACK! School's over and I could finally write/type 'till my fingers fall off! Isn't that great? Ahahahaha, anyway, I really missed updating this story. I also missed reading the lovely reviews I received from you guys. I hope you're not at all mad at me since I was studying real hard for our finals and my hands were itching to go update. And to those who read my other story? Whispers of the Wind? And got mad because I posted a new story instead of updating with a new chapter? I'M REALLY SORRY! I just couldn't resist! And about Lucy's ringtone? It's titled Heart of Stone by Yours Truly. Though to be honest, it's really crappy once you hear it out aloud. I hope you all think it's decent though. Oh, and I've got to say sorry for not mentioning acknowledgements the last chapter so here it is!
Acknowledgements/Thank you to:
Everybody who's read, is reading, and will read CWMFC. As well as to those who patiently waited for my next update even if it was more than a month.
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"The challenge is to be yourself in a world
where it's trying to make you be like everyone else." (c)