*Chapter Twenty: The Game of Life
(November 25, 2017, Saturday Night)
As they walked back to the school after dinner, Natsu hoped he wasn't making a mistake by bringing Lucy to hang out with his friends. She had been at Fairy Tail for almost eight weeks. Surely that was long enough for her to get adjusted enough to have a game night with a few people.
He tried keeping his thoughts positive as he unlocked the door to their room, letting Lucy go in first before following. He set his dishes on his bookcase before grabbing a cigarette and his lighter, needing a smoke to prepare himself for the evening. While he smoked, Lucy went to the bathroom, not saying a word to him as she left.
Natsu didn't think anything of it until he heard a knock on the door a minute later, his brows raising since the door wasn't locked. Lucy was free to stroll in when she wanted to, making Natsu realize it probably wasn't Lucy at the door.
"It's open," he said, keeping close to the crack in the window. He didn't want smoke all over the room, and he couldn't open the window too much or the room would get colder. If Lucy went through the trouble of moving the bed away from the window that meant the cold was bothering her. It made him a little anxious since he knew it was only going to get colder.
The door creaked open, a pale, large hand peeking in before Gray slipped through. Natsu furrowed his brows as he frowned, wondering what he was doing there. Before Lucy came to Fairy Tail, it wasn't uncommon for Gray to stop by without a reason, but since the incident between Gray and Lucy, he hadn't been showing up as much.
"What's up?" Natsu asked, inhaling the harsh cigarette, letting it soothe his tension.
Smoking was one of the last things Natsu had that reminded him of his time before the outbreak, but he knew he eventually had to quit. Not only did he know they were bad for him, he was bound to run out eventually. He pushed the thought out of his head, knowing it wasn't as important as Gray's random visit. Natsu's eyes stayed on Gray as he walked closer, the man leaning against the desk after making sure they were alone.
"I uh, I wanted to ask if I can talk to Lucy?"
Natsu's eyes widened before narrowing, a defensive shield coming up. "Why?" Lucy had been contributing to the base, earning her keep. He doubted Gray wanted to yell at her again, but judging by the limited conversations the two had, he had a good reason to suspect his friend of ill intentions.
However, Gray seemed genuine when he sighed, his eyes falling to the ground in defeat. "I... I wanted to apologize to her." He met Natsu's gaze, his blue eyes dark and dull. "I let my anger get the better of me. I shouldn't have yelled at her."
"No, you shouldn't have."
Natsu needed another drag, trying to decide what was best for Lucy. While Gray apologizing was a good thing, he didn't know if Lucy would take it well. His eyes snapped to the door when he saw it open again, Lucy entering the room. She looked up, her mouth parting as if she were going speak, only to shut her mouth and turn away once she caught sight of Gray.
Natsu's stomach twisted, wishing he had all the answers. He considered both possibilities, but in the end, he decided it was better to see if Lucy would accept Gray's apology rather than tell Gray no without even trying. Lucy needed to heal, and part of that involved Gray's behavior. It had been almost a month since he yelled at her, but time alone wasn't going to fix what happened that day.
"Lucy," Natsu started, ignoring Gray for a moment. "Can you come here?"
She was standing by her bed, her body facing away from them with her arms wrapped around her. He watched as she slowly turned around, her eyes trained on the ground instead of looking at him. He accepted it, knowing it had to be hard for her to have Gray in their room given what happened.
Lucy padded her way towards Natsu, almost hugging the wall so she wouldn't get too close to Gray. She stopped when she was a foot away from Natsu, keeping her head down. Natsu looked to Gray before forcing a smile. "Gray wanted to talk to you." He saw her flinch in the corner of his eye, so he decided to get straight to the point. "He wants to apologize. Is that okay?"
He expected her to say no. He wouldn't have blamed her if she did. It was within her rights. She didn't owe Gray anything, but it was courteous to at least hear him out. Lucy must have realized that too, her body shifting so she was pressed against the wall, her eyes down but her body pointed towards Gray. She said nothing, causing the two men to glance at each other before Natsu shrugged.
Gray cleared his throat, pushing himself off the desk so he could stand straight. His voice was low and rough, as if it was painful admitting he was wrong. It was strange to Natsu. For as long as he could remember, Gray owned up to his mistakes. Natsu hoped the outbreak wasn't changing who he was as a person, but then again, maybe that was better than the alternative.
'What if Gray still thinks he was right to yell at her?' Natsu didn't ask his question, letting Gray have the floor. He didn't think Gray still felt justified for what he did. The look in his eyes could only be described as remorseful.
"Look, I'm sorry for what I did before. I was angry, but that's not an excuse. I—" Gray cupped the back of his neck, sighing. "I should've talked to you instead of yelling. I... I don't really know what else to say. Sorry I scared you. I wasn't thinking straight, and I'm sorry for that."
He paused, gritting his teeth. "And... I wanted you to know that I don't think you're... a... a parasite." The word made Lucy flinch and Natsu tense. "I just said that in anger. I think, well, it doesn't matter what I think. Point is I'm sorry for making you feel bad. You... you didn't deserve that."
The room went silent when Gray stopped talking, Natsu holding his breath while he waited for Lucy to answer. She didn't for a minute, the seconds stretching longer than normal. Natsu had to put out his cigarette while waiting, the atmosphere too uncomfortable to enjoy the nicotine.
Natsu closed his eyes in relief when he heard Lucy's soft voice, thankfully not marred with tears as she spoke. "It's... It's o-okay." Lucy kept her head down, but Natsu didn't fault her for it. It took a lot of courage to face Gray after what happened, and that didn't include accepting his apology. He hoped that meant things could get better between them, but he knew things weren't always that simple. Natsu doubted Lucy would forget what happened, even if she chose to forgive Gray.
Gray stared at Lucy before nodding, his shoulders relaxing as he asked, "Can we start over?" He waited until Lucy nodded before his lips quirked into a small smile, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. "Should we hug or something?" Gray asked, turning his gaze to Natsu while Lucy tensed.
While Natsu understood where Gray was coming from, Lucy didn't. Before the outbreak, if Gray and Natsu had a nasty fight and made up, Erza would make the two hug it out as a show of good faith. That wasn't going to work with Lucy, and despite not knowing what happened in her past, Gray should've known a hug wasn't going to make anything better. Nothing about Lucy's body language suggested she would be okay with something like that.
Natsu's eyes widened as he shook his head, seeing Lucy take a step closer to him in the process. "She doesn't like being touched," he said, not thinking as he placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, guiding her so she didn't bump into him. She flinched, only relaxing when she glanced up to meet Natsu's gaze.
Gray raised a brow as he mumbled, "But you're—" He closed his mouth, shaking his head. "Not important."
Natsu dropped his hand from Lucy's shoulder, scratching the back of his neck before nodding towards the door. "Well, we should all get to Erza's before we're late."
Gray opened his mouth, but instead of saying anything about the earlier topic, he decided to nod. "Sure. Uh, see you two there."
Natsu wondered if Gray was waiting for more from Lucy, but he left the room without another word, leaving the two roommates alone once again. Natsu took Gray's place by the desk, peeking down so he could try to see Lucy's eyes. "Hey, you okay?"
Lucy nodded, though the arms wrapped around her body suggested otherwise. She sucked in a deep breath, slowly exhaling before she dropped her arms. "I'm... I'm good," she whispered.
Natsu almost asked if she wanted to stay in the room tonight instead of hang out with his friends, but he decided against it. He asked if she was ready to head over to Erza's, figuring if she wasn't, now would be the time to tell him no.
Lucy's eyes locked with his. They didn't appear watery, but her face was stained red from the 'talk' with Gray. When she nodded, he smiled, happy she was still willing to try hanging out. He gave her another minute to calm down before they headed towards Erza and Jellal's room, Happy trailing along next to Lucy's ankles. 'It'll be good for her,' he thought, hoping it would be a step in the right direction.
The door to Erza's room was propped open when Natsu got there. He knocked on the door frame twice before entering, Lucy reluctantly following him in. "Hey guys," he said with a wave, walking towards the empty space in front of the couch.
Natsu sat down, pressing his back against the couch. He wished he had one, but that would require him going off base on his day off to go find one. He didn't think it was worth the trouble, but that didn't stop him from wanting one.
He patted the spot beside him, waiting for Lucy to sit down. She did, though she kept a small gap between them. However, once Gray went to sit beside her, she scooted closer to Natsu.
Natsu didn't have to guess what was going on in her mind, knowing she wanted to keep her distance from Gray. One apology wasn't going to make her okay with him, and he hoped Gray understood that.
At the same time, Natsu hoped Lucy wouldn't hold what happened against Gray forever. What Gray did was harsh, but in Natsu's opinion, it wasn't unforgivable. 'Time'll make things better... I hope.'
Natsu was once again realizing he leaned too much on 'hope'. However, without knowing how to fix everything, hope was all he had.
Natsu raised a brow when he felt Lucy's knee bump against his. She mumbled an apology as she tried pulling herself closer so they wouldn't touch, but he shook his head, shrugging it off. "It's fine. I don't mind."
Often times when he worked off base he was crammed in the back of a truck with multiple people, leaving him no personal space. A simple touch on the knee wasn't going to make a difference to him. As long as Lucy didn't mind, he was okay with it.
She slowly nodded before relaxing her legs, her knee brushing against his. He kept his mouth shut was he looked around, seeing Jellal and Erza setting up the board game while Levy lit candles to set around them.
Natsu thought about asking Jellal why he didn't make it to dinner, but his question was soon forgotten when he saw Jellal glance up, stopping his task when his eyes fixed on something beside Natsu.
Natsu turned, realizing Jellal was looking at Lucy. Before he could ask why, Jellal parted his lips, his eyes narrowing as he said, "You know, you look kinda familiar with your hair like that."
Natsu felt a chill run down his spine while Lucy jolted. He inspected her hair, but the only difference he saw was she had some of her hair pulled into a side ponytail while the rest was down. Usually she had it in a single ponytail or bun, but Natsu didn't pay too much attention to how she wore it. Sure, he thought her newest hairstyle was weird, but he hadn't commented on it, not wanting Lucy to feel embarrassed for wearing it how she liked.
It wasn't bothering anyone, so he wasn't going to try to stop her from doing it.
Lucy's hand came up, fingers ghosting over the side ponytail. She looked to Natsu for guidance, but he didn't know what he was supposed to say. She cupped a hand over part of her mouth, causing Natsu to lean in while turning his head.
"I've n-never met him b-before this," she whispered, her voice so soft he had a hard time hearing her.
Natsu nodded, believing her. He didn't think Lucy had a reason to lie. He turned to Jellal to tell him what Lucy said, but the man had gone back to his original task, muttering under his breath.
"Can't figure out why though."
Natsu saw the odd stares they received, but after he shrugged, everyone went back to what they were doing before the interruption. Natsu sighed, guessing Jellal was mistaken. It was only a coincidence that Natsu met Lucy before the outbreak, so he doubted Jellal had done the same. He let it drift to the back of his mind, chalking it up to a simple mistake, not realizing that Jellal's foggy memory was another piece to the puzzle that was Lucy.
The game started shortly after that, everyone spinning the wheel to figure out who would go first. They were playing 'The Game of Life', one of Natsu's favorites. He hadn't played since before the outbreak, so he was looking forward to it. The version they had was different from the classic one, but Natsu was on board with anything as long as everyone had fun.
Though, he realized that he didn't have much control over that when it came time for Lucy to spin, the woman shaking her head as she mumbled, "N-no, thanks."
"Are ya sure?" Natsu asked, frowning when she nodded. He wanted her to participate, but he had to remind himself she was already doing great by being there. He gave her a soft smile, nodding as he whispered, "That's fine. You can play with me?"
He looked at Erza, pointing at the little blue and pink pieces. "Is it okay if Lucy rides with me?"
Erza raised a brow before smiling, grabbing a pink person to hand to him. "Of course."
Natsu put Lucy's pink character in the front seat next to his blue character. He placed his red SUV piece where he would start the game, choosing to go straight into a career. His friends followed his lead, some choosing the college route while others picked career first.
Since Levy spun the highest number, she got to go first. She borrowed money from the bank before spinning, moving four spaces forward, collecting money due to the spot she landed on.
The game progressed after that, Natsu going next since he sat to Levy's left. They played the game like normal, each person progressing forward as their turns went by. Natsu chuckled when he landed on the spot that said he had to get married, taking a pink character from Erza to place behind his. "She can sit in the backseat," he laughed, hearing the smallest snort coming from Lucy.
"You know," Jellal started, shaking his head as he laughed. "If this was real life, your wife wouldn't be okay with that."
Natsu shrugged, flashing his friends a smile as he played with the little toy vehicle. "She'll get over it. Lucy was sitting there first."
That was met with more chuckles, Gray mumbling, "Idiot," under his breath before taking his turn.
Natsu didn't mind, his smile remaining until they got further into the game. Most of it was fun, but some of the cards hurt more than they were intended to. For instance, Natsu bit back a frown when he landed on 'Visit Mt. Hakobe.' He had never been there before, and now he doubted he would get the chance.
The mood seemed to lift and lower depending on the spots they landed on. Too many things reminded them of the life they had before the outbreak, whereas some spots were a nice distraction since they were still possible.
"Twins?" Levy shouted, shaking her head as Erza handed her two pieces, one pink and one blue. "Why couldn't I have spun a seven instead."
"What's a seven?" Gray asked, leaning over the board. "Oh, ha. I guess winning money in a game show would be easier than raising two babies."
"Can't wait to meet the guy you end up making them with," Cana said, snickering from her side of the board.
While Levy groaned, Gray laughed. "We probably already have. The way Jet and Droy hang off ya, I'm surprised they haven't asked you out yet."
Cana nudged Gray with an elbow, a coy grin on her face. "She could probably have both of 'em if she wanted."
"Probably."
Levy shook her head, taking a deep breath before sighing. "They're just friends. Nothing more."
Natsu couldn't help but smile, happy Levy wasn't entertaining the idea of being with either of those guys. His opinion hadn't changed. She could do better, even after the outbreak.
"Uh huh," Cana snorted, a wild grin on her face. "And I'm sober." She paused, her lips twisting as she moved her tongue in her mouth. "Actually, I think I might really be sober. Fuck."
"Run outta booze yet?" Jellal asked, earning a huff from Cana.
"Just about." She looked at Natsu, narrowing her eyes. "You guys need to find more alcohol. It takes too long to make my own, and it's not as good."
Natsu raised his hands in a mock surrender, chuckling as he said, "I can't control what I find out there." He already had his hands full trying to find fish-flavored cat food, mass gainers, and cigarettes. Alcohol was one of the last things on his list of things to look for.
Gray laughed, drawing everyone's attention to him as he asked, "Remember that time Cana broke into her dad's liquor cabinet and we all got drunk behind the 8-Island?"
Everyone except for Lucy laughed and nodded, reminiscing their teenage memories. That led the group to talk about other stories from their past, keeping the topic lighthearted while the game was temporarily placed on hold.
Natsu watched as Gray started grabbing at the hem of his shirt as he told a story about them during a winter break one year. He didn't think anything of it until he felt pressure on his knee again, Natsu's eyes flitting to the side to peer at Lucy's fearful eyes. It didn't take him long to realize why she was upset, his voice harsher than he intended as he snapped at his best friend.
"Gray!"
Gray flinched, his dark eyes growing wide as he looked at Natsu, confusion coloring his expression. "What?"
Natsu felt his friends staring at him, his heartbeat doubling when he tried to play his outburst off like it was nothing. "It's uh, not a stripping game," he said, giving them a nervous chuckle. "Keep your shirt on."
"Oh." Gray blinked before dropping his shirt, his eyes narrowing as he slowly turned away. "Anyways, I was wondering if we can do that again this year. I'm sure it's gonna start snowing."
Erza nodded, letting Natsu's earlier interruption go, just like everyone else. "We'll need some vanilla extract and maybe some condensed milk. Also—"
Natsu had stopped listening, his attention falling on the woman beside him. Lucy held Happy close to her chest, her head down as she took in slow, deep breaths. Natsu had to hand it to her, she was doing better than he expected. He wondered if it had to do with the setting or her progress at Fairy Tail, but either way, he was happy she hadn't freaked out.
"You okay?" he whispered, causing her to nod too quickly, as if she was expecting him to ask. He frowned, wishing he could soothe her without drawing too much attention to them.
"You sure?"
Instead of nodding again, Lucy glanced up, her face and neck red with a splotchy blush. "I-I need—" When she cut herself off, Natsu leaned in, allowing her to whisper in his ear like she did earlier. "Bathroom."
He nodded, pulling away so he could ask if she wanted him to go with her. She shook her head, fumbling to stand while keeping her hold on Happy. Natsu's friends watched her movements, but he waved a hand at them, drawing the focus away from his roommate. "She's just taking a bathroom break."
While they returned to the game, Natsu kept his eyes on Lucy, waiting until she slipped out of the room before letting out a deep sigh. He leaned against the couch, hoping his friends hadn't scared her off. 'She'll be fine,' he told himself, but he didn't know if he believed it or not.
"FUCK!" Natsu tossed his head back on the couch cushion, groaning at his shitty luck. He finished in second place, Jellal coming out victorious with a little more money than Natsu. He heard his friends laughing at him, but he shrugged it off. He wasn't too upset, even if he really wanted to win.
"It's just 'cause you got the doctor card," Natsu grumbled, not surprised when Erza called him a sore loser.
He huffed before snatching his red vehicle, looking at the passengers he collected along the way. Beside Natsu sat Lucy while his wife sat in the back with their son. He sighed as he took the pieces out, saving Lucy's for last.
After turning everything back in, he glanced at the empty spot beside him, wondering why Lucy hadn't returned. He hadn't heard any commotion outside since she left, so he figured it wasn't anything bad. 'She probably decided she didn't want to come back.'
While that thought was the most logical, it caused Natsu to frown. He wanted her to get along with his friends, but that was hard to do if she wasn't willing to spend time with them.
'She did good,' he reminded himself, knowing it was unlikely she would jump into full conversations with his friends after hanging out with them for a little bit. He would've liked for her to at least hang out with them until it was time to leave, even if she wasn't going to open up to them.
"Who wants to play another round?" Cana asked, earning a few groans of protest.
"Another round'll take too long," Gray said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't mind some poker though?"
Cana nodded as she leaned back on one hand. "That's okay too."
"I'll go get the cards," Levy said, getting up to leave the room.
Natsu stood after her, adjusting his clothes before walking towards the door. "I'm gonna go check on Lucy. Be right back." He didn't bother waiting for their reply, exiting the room so he could head down the hall.
He unlocked his door before slipping in, immediately spotting Lucy since she was by the lit candle on the ground. Her blanket was wrapped around her body while she read a book, Happy cuddled on her lap. She glanced up at him before the corner of her lip twitched, but she didn't show him anything more before returning to her book.
"Hey."
Natsu couldn't help but smile at her soft voice. She didn't sound as timid as she had been when she was with his friends. Not only that, she didn't appear in distress, peacefully reading by herself.
"Hey. I wanted to come check on ya." He closed the door, padding his way across the room before sitting at the edge of her bed, making sure to keep his distance. "You okay?"
Lucy nodded, clearing her throat before she set the book down, making sure not to lose her place by keeping a hand between the pages. "Yeah. I-I felt weird being around them."
Natsu nodded, resisting the urge to snort. He didn't want to tell Lucy he considered her weird all the time, knowing that would upset her. "That's fine. I can't expect ya to warm up to 'em that fast."
"I was—" Lucy cut herself off, her expression revealing her distress.
"What?" he asked, cocking his head. "You can tell me."
Lucy nodded, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling. "I was uncomfortable... around Gray."
He frowned, but nodded anyway. "Yeah, I get that." He wanted to ask if she was going to hold what he did against him forever, but he remained quiet, not wanting to upset her. "Was it the almost stripping thing?"
Once again, she nodded. "That, and... and I'm just..." She shook her head, sucking in a shaky breath. "Never mind. I-I don't want to talk about it."
Natsu hesitated before offering her a soft smile. "Hey, you don't have to talk about it if don't wanna, but if you do I'll be glad to listen."
"Thanks," she whispered, keeping his gaze.
His smile grew a little wider. "Yeah, no problem. What're friends for?"
There was a moment of silence as Natsu wondered what he should say next, but thankfully Lucy spoke up, causing him to beam with excitement, even if she kept her voice quiet as she confessed it.
"I had fun."
"You did?" Natsu cocked his head before chuckling. "We came in second place."
Lucy's shoulders shook for a second, the act making it look like she was holding back a laugh, but he couldn't be sure. "Cool."
Natsu was about to tell her how Jellal stole first place, but he realized his friends were probably waiting on him. He stood, casting a glance over his shoulder as he walked towards the door. "Let me go say bye to them. Then we can hang out."
Lucy shook her head, raising her voice a bit so he could hear her. "You're f-fine. I wanted to... to read anyways."
"Oh, okay." Natsu wondered if she was lying to make him feel better about hanging out with his friends, but judging by the way she cracked that book open again once she had the chance, he guessed she actually wanted to read. 'She did say she liked reading after all.'
"Sounds good," he said, opening the door before giving her a wave. "Dunno when I'll be back."
"Take your time," Lucy mumbled, her eyes flitting to the door.
He knew she would watch it until she heard the door lock, so he hurried, securing the door before going back to his friends. He found them in a round of poker, the five of them starting without him. He couldn't blame them, knowing he could jump in the next round.
Natsu kicked his shoes off before lying on the couch, getting comfortable while watching his friends play. He didn't think anything of the silence around them, not realizing it was due to the tension in the air until Erza finally spoke.
"How's Lucy?"
Everyone's eyes fell on him, waiting for an answer. He did his best to shrug sideways, happy to report Lucy's mood. "She's good. She just wanted to read."
While Erza and Levy nodded, Cana and Jellal furrowed their brows. Gray's hands grabbed at the hem of his shirt again, but Natsu didn't bother stopping him from stripping. Since Lucy wasn't around, he didn't have to worry.
"She hates me," Gray murmured, tossing his shirt behind him without a second thought.
Natsu chuckled, turning so he could lie on his back. "She doesn't hate you... I don't think." He waited for someone else to jump in, but when no one said anything, he sighed. "She's just scared of you. Big difference."
Gray grumbled under his breath, but everyone heard him. "That's not much better."
Natsu wished he could prove him wrong, but he couldn't. He was just happy Lucy wasn't scared of him. Being her roommate wouldn't be possible if the woman feared him.
He was glad she didn't hate him either. It would be hard to help her get back on her feet if she couldn't stand to be around him. Despite what Gray did, Natsu had a feeling Lucy didn't hate him. She was just trying to cope with her trauma while also navigating through the new world. She had been through a lot, and Gray yelling at her wasn't nearly as bad as being beaten and raped.
Natsu's stomach twisted and throat tightened at the thought of someone hurting another person like that, no matter who it was. He couldn't fathom why someone would want to do something so cruel to another person. 'What kind of sick motherfucker would—'
"I thought apologizing would fix it," Gray said, breaking through Natsu's thoughts.
Natsu was thankful for the interruption, his blood simmering as he released his built up anger. He took a deep breath, glancing at the rest of his friends before his gaze settled on Gray. "Just give her time. She... she went through a lot. She just needs time."
"How much time do you think she'll need?" Jellal asked, but it was Levy who answered him.
"There's no way to answer that. Without knowing what she went through or how to help her, it could take years for her to get better."
"Years?!" Gray gaped, blinking twice before shaking his head. "I just yelled a little at her. How's that supposed to take years to fix?"
Levy shook her head. "I'm not talking about that. I mean everything that happened." Levy looked at Natsu, but he wasn't giving them any answers, sworn to secrecy. She turned to Gray, letting out a long sigh. "The best thing we can do is not put any pressure on her to open up. That'll only cause her to close herself off more. We have to show her we won't hurt her. Physically—"
Gray opened his mouth, but Levy cut him off with a stern look. "Or mentally. Yelling can affect people in different ways. Yelling can be a trigger for Lucy. We don't know. Just keep calm around her and be nice. She'll see there's nothing to worry about as long as we do those things."
Levy paused, her eyes flitting to the tile floor covered in cards. "That doesn't mean she'll open up though. It's her decision if she wants to or not. I hope she will, but we can't force it."
Natsu swallowed at the word 'force'. He wanted to tell his friends what Lucy had been through so they would understand, but he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't his place to tell. Besides, the first people he wanted to know about it was Grandeeney and Makarov, but he was still working on getting Lucy to trust the doctor.
He figured Grandeeney would know what to do to make Lucy feel better since she studied medicine. Natsu hoped Lucy would open up to Grandeeney soon. He couldn't imagine how hard it was trapped in her head. 'Hopefully writing helps. If she can't say what she's feeling, maybe she can write it down to get it out that way?'
Natsu turned back on his side, realizing the room had grown quiet. Gray was the first to break the silence, sighing before he said, "Fine. I guess you're right."
"She is," Natsu mumbled, his chest tight as he nodded at Levy. He was glad he wasn't the only one working to help Lucy get better. So far he had Levy and Grandeeney doing their part, even if it wasn't their responsibility.
"Well," Cana started, breaking the tension that lingered in the air. "Who's uh, who's turn was it?"
Natsu didn't stop the change of topic. Talking about Lucy was tough with the secrets he held, but he knew it was nothing compared to what Lucy was dealing with. He knew there was more going on with her, but he didn't pressure her for more answers on what happened to shape her into the person she was today.
He would be patient and gain her trust. Not only would it help him figure out what was going on in her mind, it was the best way to become her friend. His thoughts hadn't changed since he brought her to Fairy Tail. Lucy needed a friend, and he was there to help.
After a moment of awkward silence, the poker game continued. Natsu watched quietly, a soft smile surfacing on his lips as the game went on. Despite it not being strip poker, Gray ended up in nothing but his boxers and one sock, Cana calling him a pervert while Levy held up a hand so she wouldn't have to see her barely-dressed friend.
Natsu joined the next game, playing a few rounds until he started getting a headache. He was tired, calling it a night before heading back to his room. Happy greeted him once he entered the room, meowing at his owner until Natsu went to get him some cat food.
Natsu did his best to not make any noise while filling Happy's bowl since Lucy was fast asleep. He didn't know if she took her melatonin or brushed her teeth, but she looked too peaceful to wake up, so he let her be. If she woke up screaming, he would deal with it. For now, he just wanted to get himself ready for bed so he could pass out.
Natsu skipped smoking his nightly cigarette, instead brushing his teeth and using the bathroom before writing about his day in his notebook. He went ahead and checked Lucy's toothbrush just in case, smiling when he felt the damp handle.
'She's taking care of herself,' he thought as he crawled into bed, his brows furrowing when he realized just how closer her bed was after she moved it. He couldn't reach out and touch her bed, but he could see her face better in the moonlight.
He mumbled a goodnight to her and Happy before pulling his covers over his head, happy Lucy was doing well despite what she had been through. He hoped that meant she was going to keep getting better, but Natsu knew there would be some bumps along the way.
Even if the trauma Lucy endured didn't damage her mind, living in the zombie apocalypse was no easy task. Natsu had plenty of bumps of his own, just like everyone else trying to survive.
'Just take it day by day.'
That was Natsu's last thought before he passed out, his mind and body welcoming the break.
.
.
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What'd you think of this chapter? Did Gray's apology go well, or do you think he should've said anything else? What do you think of them all playing board games together? I imagine they'd try to keep as much normalcy as they can get. Did anyone like Lucy riding in Natsu's vehicle? :P I know she didn't stick through for the entire night, but what do you think of her hanging out with his friends, even if she was silent for most of it? What about Levy talking to the group about Lucy? Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! I love hearing from you!
Thank you for your continued support! I appreciate every favorite, follow, and review! Shout out to those amazing people who reviewed last time: cOokIe-MOnzTa, Emoelmo41212, stranger1999, naluloverr, Satyrykal, sofiesticated, Lucia Merinero, FlameDragonHime, Guest, Cresentgenisi, Guest, TheUniqueFangirl, Bakers28, Animeforlife1412, Sam, Screeney, PrincessSarahDragneel, An Amber Pen, chimushea, Tohka123, sonikastalker, Gigi-San28, ElementalMiko12, Guest, BloodRedRubies, MnMAllyn, Guest, ThayetJade, Nalu-Nerd13, Mara fray, Sherlollylover17, MidnightFox890, ManderNaner, MeteorWars, Nightside14, LoveroftheWord, Guest, and Guest!
Up next, Chapter Twenty-One: One bite won't hurt