AN: Hellooo everyone! :D I hope you all enjoy this chapter! It definitely isn't as long as the last lol.
Chapter 28
Lucy P.O.V. (Saturday)
As I woke up the next morning, I groaned due to the incessant pounding of my head. It felt like it was being hit with a bat every ten seconds by a professional baseball player. My stomach began to churn and I knew I was going to throw up. Throwing the covers off of me, I jumped off of my bed and rushed to the bathroom, covering my mouth with my hand to keep it down.
Since I didn't have any time to grab a hair tie, I threw my golden locks behind me and hoped for the best as I threw up what felt like all of my insides into the toilet. Tears welled in my eyes and streamed down my face and I was beginning to feel like I couldn't breathe. Drool dripped out of my mouth as my mouth hung open after I finished puking. My throat was raspy and there was a terrible taste in my mouth.
"Are you alright?" a familiar voice suddenly questioned.
I stifled a squeal as I quickly turned around to find Erza leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed. Then I remembered that the girls were supposed to spend the night with me after the party.
The party.
What exactly happened at the party?
Most of the prior night was a blur. I only remembered a short time of the party, most of which being my friends and I standing by the snack table. What else happened? I didn't remember anything else.
I'm guessing I looked confused because Erza sighed and questioned, "You don't remember what happened, do you?"
I shook my head. "Not really. I remember what happened when we were at the snack table together. Oh, and then Gray pulled me outside to talk to me about something that I can't say." My head ached as I thought and I wanted to stop trying but the stern look on Erza's face had me feel I needed to try.
"Keep going," she persisted. Not once since we started talking had she smiled. Something had to have happened.
I nodded and brought a finger to my chin in thought as I tried to recall the party.
"After I talked to Gray, I came back and hung out with Natsu at the snack table," I mused. "You and Jellal were gone. Eventually I had to use the bathroom and- Oh."
"So you remember?" Erza asked.
I nodded and averted my gaze, a frown planted to my face. That's right. On my way to the bathroom I found out about Erza and Jellal. I found out how much they pitied me. How little they must've thought of me. How pathetic was I?
"Yeah, I remember," I answered meekly.
"Remember what?" Erza questioned. With her tone it sounded as if she was scolding me. Why in the world was she scolding me?
"I remember that you and Jellal kept your little secret because you pitied me," I answered sourly. I knew what it meant to go against Erza but I wasn't going to just back down with this. I didn't even do anything wrong! "You didn't have to tell me or anyone about your relationship but your reason for hiding it sucked, Erza. I'm not some little kid, alright? I don't need you pitying me. It makes me feel more pathetic than I already am."
"You aren't pathetic, Lucy," the redhead replied with a sincere frown. "And you're right. I shouldn't have kept it from you because of what happened. That was poor judgement on my part, I should have known that it would've made you feel worse. But it doesn't excuse what you did next."
"What I did next?"
"You don't remember?"
"I don't."
"Try."
My brows furrowed as I crossed my arms and thought about what happened next. What exactly happened next? I remembered leaving the room in a hurry and then bumping into Cana.
Cana.
The school's alcoholic.
Who offered me alcohol at the beginning of the party.
Alcohol that I accepted because of how upset I was.
"I drank," I breathed out with wide eyes. "I got drunk."
"You did," Erza replied. "Drinking at our age is illegal, Lucy. There are many dangers of it, all of which you didn't consider. I understand the past week may have been difficult, but you really worried all of us with your actions."
"I-I'm sorry," I sincerely replied. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I just wanted to feel as happy as everyone around me and it looked like the alcohol was working for them."
"And what about you? Did it work for you?"
"I guess it did at the time. But now… It wasn't worth it. I'm sorry for worrying all of you."
"It's alright. But worrying us isn't all you did, Lucy."
I arched a brow. "What else did I do? Oh Mavis. D-Did I kill someone?"
"No, no," Erza answered, giving me a moment's relief before she continued, "but you may have ruined a relationship."
"What?"
"It's okay, Erza. I'll talk to her," another voice sounded from the behind the redhead. Levy squeezed through and into the bathroom. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, clear signs that she was crying.
Erza's words hit me.
"You may have ruined a relationship."
And with that, some more memories of last night that were still lost flashed through my mind. My stomach dropped and my hands flew to my mouth as my eyes widened. I spilled Gajeel's most private secret, one of which that very well could've ruined their relationship.
Erza nodded at Levy before giving me one last glance and heading back into my bedroom. It was a bit strange being in my bathroom, especially since I just threw up, but my mind wasn't focused on that. Instead, I was focused on the fact that I hurt my best friend and my other dear friend.
My eyes stayed glued to the floor as I couldn't bring myself to look at Levy for I was scared that if I did, I would see burning hatred in her eyes. I bit my bottom lip hard, perhaps as self-punishment, and I could taste blood. I hugged myself, not yet ready to deal with the consequences of my drunken night.
"How are you feeling?" Levy questioned.
I slowly lifted my gaze towards the petite girl, immensely relieved that I couldn't sense any malice from her. Either Levy didn't hate me, or she was a good actress. I wasn't sure yet.
"I-I'm okay now," I answered, my voice strained. "I feel better after throwing up."
"Most people do," the blunette replied. Closing the door behind her, Levy glanced back at me and gave me a weak smile. "I know you're wondering how I'm feeling, and I promise I'm not mad at you. Though, I probably can't say the same about Gajeel."
My eyes widened as I questioned, "You aren't? Why not?"
"Because I know you were intoxicated. I'll be honest, I wasn't too fond about hearing it from you and I did want to learn about it from Gajeel, but you didn't mean to."
"But I still shouldn't have said it!"
"We all say things we shouldn't at times even when we're sober. I don't want you beating yourself up for this, alright?"
I nodded reluctantly but the guilt that ebbed me didn't go away. What I did wasn't okay. I promised Natsu I wouldn't tell anyone and I went to the worst possible person to blab it to. I could only imagine what Gajeel must've been feeling.
"How are you feeling?" I asked. Gajeel could wait until some other time, my best friend needed comfort now.
Levy gave a shaky sigh as she answered, "Honestly, I'm not doing too well."
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
"I don't think I should."
"Why not?"
"Because I really don't like what I'm thinking and saying it aloud would only make it worse," Levy answered, her voice cracking. My heart ached for her. Seeing her like this was torture, especially since it was my fault.
"I'm not going to make you talk, but I do think it would help you," I replied, placing a hand in hopes of comforting her.
Levy nodded but changed the subject. "Do you remember everything?"
Not wanting to pressure her, I went along with the topic change and answered, "Not really. I remember telling you what happened and then going off to dance… Sorry about that, by the way. I know I must've worried you with how stupid I was acting."
"Water under the bridge. I think if this whole Gajeel mess wasn't happening, I would've found it hilarious."
"I'm sure you would have. How did we get home?"
"We took your phone and texted Capricorn to pick us up. You were already tired by the time he came but Erza made sure to talk to him about school just in case to direct the conversation. Once we got here we rushed you to your room and you passed out right away."
"I didn't even notice you guys when I woke up."
"I could tell by the way you threw the blanket on me and ran to the bathroom."
"Is Juvia here too?"
"Yeah, she's still sleeping on the floor. It's not even seven o'clock yet. Looks like your hangover started early."
"Great. Do you happen to know if I did anything to mess things up with Juvia in any way? I got into a small argument with Erza and completely ruined your night, I wouldn't be surprised if I found a way to upset Juvia too."
"She hasn't mentioned anything and she seemed happy from the party so you might have spared her from your drunken rampage."
"Thank Mavis. I have so much apologizing to do," I said with a sigh.
Levy smiled and replied, "You'll be fine. Well, Gajeel may be a bit harder to win over though."
And man, Gajeel sure holds a grudge.
Juvia P.O.V.
Once Juvia woke up, Juvia found that the rest of the girls were already awake and ready for their days, talking quietly in the opposite side of the room. Juvia was glad to see that Lucy was feeling better and wasn't drunk anymore. Juvia was worried last night for her friend.
"Good morning," Juvia greeted with a wave.
The three girls turned around and smiled. Juvia could tell Levy nor Lucy were fully happy but they seemed to be better than the night before.
"Did you want any breakfast? We already ate," Lucy stated.
Juvia shook her head and answered, "No thanks. Juvia is going on a date with Gray-sama later. What time is it?"
"It's close to noon. You slept in pretty late today. You usually wake up early."
"Juvia stayed up texting Gray-sama."
Juvia and the rest of the girls spent the next few hours talking about last night, making sure to steer clear of what happened with Gajeel-kun. Only Erza and Lucy had been drunk before, so Levy and Juvia asked lots of questions of what it was like to be drunk.
Eventually, it was time for Juvia to leave as she had a date with Gray-sama. Juvia didn't know what we had planned but it didn't matter. Any time with Gray was a good time.
Juvia's dates with Gray-sama were always fun whether they costed money or they were free. The dates were always full of surprises, all of which planned by Gray. Not only was he handsome, intelligent, and funny, he was also very romantic. More romantic than Juvia originally thought.
When Juvia got home, she threw on nicer clothes: an ankle-length black skirt with a slit on the side and a black blouse. Receiving a new text from Gray, Juvia smiled at her phone. He was already almost to Juvia's house.
Since Juvia's parents were still at work, she didn't need to tell anyone before leaving the house. Making sure to lock the door behind her, Juvia smiled at Gray-sama, who was clad in black jeans and a red tee shirt. As always, Juvia's heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, Juvia," Gray greeted with his signature, small smile. However it seemed a bit strained. Almost as if he was upset about something.
"Hello, Gray-sama," Juvia greeted, hoping she was imagining things. "Where are we going today?"
"The aquarium."
Gray's eyes studied Juvia, making her nervous. There was something off about him, something bothering him. It made Juvia uneasy.
"Juvia loves the aquarium!" she said in hopes of calming her nerves.
Gray's eyes lit up a bit and a real smile graced his face. "Alright, good! Let's go then."
We took the bus because the walk would take too long. Gray apologized for not having his own car so that he could drive us and Juvia assured him it was okay. He seemed to be apologizing a lot that day. Juvia didn't know what to make of it.
When we got to the aquarium, Gray-sama payed for the tickets at the front desk, refusing to accept any of Juvia's money. Luckily the employee was a male and Juvia didn't have to fight for Gray-sama's love. With that, we went to explore the aquarium.
It had been years since Juvia had been to an aquarium. It wasn't for any specific reason other than Juvia didn't have anyone to go with. Juvia's parents work a lot- not like Lucy's father, though- and it kept them busy. So our family days consisted of board games and whatnot.
Walking through the aquarium was fun. There were so many different types of sea life, it was a wonderful sight. Juvia hadn't told anyone, but if she didn't become a professional swimmer, she would love to be a marine biologist. So seeing all of the different animals were exciting.
The octopus was Juvia's favorite part of it all. Matching Erza's hair, the octopus was scarlet in color as it stuck to the tank with its suction cups. There was a rumor that the octopus would sneak out of its tank at night to explore. It was amusing.
Juvia turned her head to find Gray-sama's reaction, only to find a scowl on his face as his hands were shoved in his pockets. With a frown, Juvia turned back to study the octopus again but her mind was focused on Gray. Why was he so upset? Was he going to tell Juvia he didn't feel the same anymore and he was scared of hurting her feelings?
Juvia didn't want Gray-sama to feel differently now but she didn't want him to look so upset either. If it came down to it, Juvia would be willing to let him go if it meant his happiness. Tears pricked Juvia's eyes as she turned to face the boy and let him know he was free.
"Gray-sama," Juvia called out, bringing him out of his apparently depressing thoughts. Clenching the bottom of Juvia's blouse, she asked, "Is something wrong?"
He looked up at me and shook his head with a feigned smile. "Nah, I'm fine. The octopus looks pretty cool-"
"It is obvious Gray is not fine and Juvia would appreciate if he wouldn't lie to her."
He frowned and averted his gaze. "Alright, sorry. I guess I've been a bit distracted."
"Is something wrong? I-Is it Juvia? Do you not feel the same anymore?"
"What? Of course I still feel the same. It's not that, Juvia. I promise."
Juvia released a sigh of relief. "Then what is it? Is it your family?"
"Nah, not them either," Gray answered. His cheeks turned rosy as he continued, "Nothing has been going right though today. For us."
"What do you mean? Juvia is having a lot of fun."
"I know, but…" His hands balled into fists as he explained, "It was supposed to be even better! I went to the flower shop to get you some of your favorite flowers but they were sold out. Then I made you ride on the bus because I don't have a car. And now I guess I've ruined this date because of the fact that I was upset about everything else that didn't work out."
"You are trying very hard for this date, Gray-sama. You don't need any of the extra stuff, Juvia's heart already belongs to you."
"I know but I wanted this date to be perfect."
"Why?"
"B-Because…" Gray shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and turned away, his cheeks pink. "I-I was planning on asking you out and I figured that since I made you wait so long it should be perfect."
Juvia gasped. "Like, officially?"
"Yeah. If that's what you still want…"
"Of course!" Juvia leapt towards Gray-sama and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug, one that apparently cut off his air supply. Others were giving us strange looks but Juvia didn't pay any attention to them. Juvia had all of Gray's love for herself and would never have to worry about love rivals again. Oh, Juvia should start planning the wedding!
"Can't… breathe… Juvia!" Gray-sama stated as he gently pushed Juvia away from him.
Juvia reluctantly moved away but the smile on her face remained.
"Juvia is glad that we are finally together."
Gray smiled and replied, "Me too."
He held out a hand towards Juvia and she accepted, warming from his touch. With that, we continued our exploration of the aquarium, this time in a much lighter mood and our hands never let go.
Natsu P.O.V.
I huffed when another player shot my character. Not like it mattered though. I wasn't doing well at all and I wasn't focused thanks to a certain blonde that had yet to text me. Seriously, she just told me she loved me last night and now she was leaving my phone dry.
What a weirdo.
Being the bigger person that I am, I took my phone and opened my conversation with Lucy. I frowned, not knowing what to say and my damn fingers kept shaking because I was nervous. What was I supposed to say to her? I'd never experienced anything like this.
Knowing Lucy, she was probably all embarrassed and avoiding me. Figuring that it would be better to get it out of the way now, I finally started to type.
"Yo Luce!" I sent. A second later I followed up with, "How's the hangover treating you?"
Surprisingly, she replied quickly.
"Hi Natsu," Lucy sent back. "The hangover was terrible, thanks for asking. -_-"
I chuckled and replied, "Thought so. Serves you right for drinking. :P"
"Shut up!"
I raised a brow, surprised that Lucy wasn't acting all awkward. Whenever anything unusual happened, she was always embarrassed. Why is it that she confessed and still acted normally? My phone buzzed in my hand and I looked to see the new text.
"So I messed up things with Levy-chan and Gajeel, made things awkward with Jellal, and had a mini argument with Erza. I'm fine with Gray and Juvia so that just leaves you. Did I do something stupid with you last night?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. That was why she wasn't acting weird. It was because she forgot all about it. Now what the hell was I supposed to do?
"Stupid? Definitely," I replied with a smirk. If it was going to be this way, I was going to have some fun with it.
"Seriously? Oh Mavis, what did I do?"
"Not saying. :P"
"C'mon, Natsuuuu! You have to tell me!"
"Nah. That would be too easy!"
I could just imagine her pouty face. And soon enough, I was able to see it as Lucy sent a Facetime call. Making sure my room didn't look too messy- I knew Lucy would nag me if it was- I accepted the call, making a funny face as it connected.
In seconds, the call connected and I was able to see Lucy's face and upper body as she sat at her desk. Her golden hair was tied into a pony tail which was like her signature hairstyle. She was wearing a pink tank top with stars scattered over it. Best of all, the pouty face of hers I loved was staring back at me.
"C'mon, Natsu!" Lucy whined, crossing her arms. "Just tell me already! I don't like not having a full memory!"
"Then you shouldn't have gotten drunk," I replied with a smirk.
Lucy stuck her tongue out at me. "Just tell me already!"
"Like I said, that would be too easy!"
"Let's make a bet then!"
"A bet?"
"Yep! That's our thing, right?"
I grinned mischievously, liking where this was headed.
"Alright!" I said. "What are we doing then?"
Lucy smirked and replied, "The arcade. Beat you once there before, it'll be a piece of cake doing it again."
"So cocky. Alright, if I win you have to answer three questions honesty."
Lucy narrowed her eyes in hesitation before replying, "Fine. Same goes for if I win."
"Deal!" I shouted. "So how were things with Levy? Was she mad at you?"
The happy vibes from before disappeared as Lucy frowned and shook her head. "She wasn't mad but she was upset and that was just as bad. I don't know how to fix this. I have to apologize to Gajeel soon, too."
"Ehh, I wouldn't try talking to him yet if I were you."
"Is he that mad?"
"I wouldn't doubt it."
Gajeel's anger wasn't one to be messed with. If someone did him wrong, he would make sure they paid for it. And that someone was going to be Lucy this time. Oh, and me since I told her about it. Surprisingly, he didn't do anything last night to punish me. Right when Lucy and the rest of the girls left, he just left without saying anything.
But that didn't mean we were off the hook.
And Lucy and I were going to learn that the hard way.
AN: Wonder what Gajeel is going to do to Nalu. :') We got a lot of Team Gajeels from last chapter! I think I made it obvious that I was Team Gajeel too lol. Hope you guys liked the chapter! Sorry if there were any grammar mistakes I have many finals to go study for so I'm kinda in a rush. :') Please review! :D
ThatOneFriend-3: I completely agree! Especially since they haven't been dating that long! And lol I love drunk Lucy. But my fav drunk FT character is Levy omfg I loved her in the Christmas omake! :D
Fairytailnumber1Anime: Hahaha at least she got the whole confession out! :D Just didn't leave any room for Natsu to reply! Thanks for the review! :D
SingingAngel327: OMFG I LOVED YOUR REVIEW. It had me rolling in my own tears lol. (Mulan is my fav Disney movie btw lmao.)
00nighthowler00: We'll see what happens with Gajevy! ;D So far they are still together! :D
ZzMiya-chanzz: Yes! I am team Gajeel too! I think in most fics people make Gajeel be in the wrong so I wanted to switch it and have Levy be in the wrong for once haha! :D And lol I found her funny too especially when she threw up while confessing. Thank you for the review! :D
Guest: Haha I'm glad you like it! :D Thank you so much for the review. :)
Soul Eater Maka: Hahaha omg yep! And yes! A confession is just what they needed, even if it was a drunk one! :D
Lunahartz: Omg haha why did you have detention sis? And lol yep poor Natsu. The only thing keeping him going is the confession that Lucy didn't even remember lmao.
Nalulove: Thank you so much! :D
MuffinMalonez: Ahh like your intake on it! She just needs to take things slower! And thank you for the review! :D
Crystal Kitty842: As of right now, Levy ain't understading! :') But hopefully soon! Thank you for the review. :)
IndianaCombs: Well she didn't remember the confession. :') And ahh no I've never heard of it! What's it about? :D
Alexa60765: Haha yep she was definitely hurting in the morning. I don't know how everyone else feels with a hangover, but that is how I feel with them lmao. And thank you so much. :')
Zexalloverforever39: She sure did. Hopefully she fixes it with Gajeel soon. :')
