It was a quiet night, and I would be all right if I could go on sleeping.
- Eagles, "Best of My Love"
7
It didn't take long for Gray to realise that his fears were unfounded. Reports from the South Pole were always positive. More so when summer finally arrived.
It was late December when the first pictures of the crew in front of the semi-built research station made the rounds on the news. That had been a treat. Wendy was almost as tall as Erza, who was holding up two fingers in a V. Natsu was squatting on the snow, holding up two victory signs. Never one to be outdone, that bastard. Lucy had taken the shot, for she wasn't in the frame. Unfortunate, because he was rather looking forward to seeing them all.
Gray, relieved that they had made it through the winter, stayed in a cocoon of happiness for weeks. News of the extraction voyage – bringing supplies and researchers with it – was announced and was underway by the New Year. All in all, things were looking up for the Chosen Frozen. They would be back home, having completed their mission, before mid-year.
At home, too, life was good. Luca's training was going well. He'd started trying his hand at dynamic ice make. So far, he could only make little birds, but Gray was proud. He wanted his pupil to have as many specialised tools as possible.
"You ever try to do any magic that's not ice related?" Luca asked him one day when they had finished training. "Like, weren't you even curious?"
Gray looked from the boy to the snowy ground, trying to find his shirt. Magic training, they always did outdoors. And that meant losing his clothes sometimes. Plus, it being winter for him, the darkness didn't really help matters.
"I practiced teleportation for a time," he said off-handedly. "Ya seen my shirt anywhere?"
"You kept it with mine. Here." Gray turned just in time for his bundled up shirt to hit him in the face. "Is teleportation somethin' you're good at? Can you, like, teleport to the South Pole and back?"
"No, Luca. I'm not that good." He slipped on his shirt and started buttoning it up. "I know a really limited sorta teleportation called Marking and Recalling. My dad could do it."
"Yo, that sounds cool! Tell me more, tell me more!"
Shaking his head, Gray sat down on a nearby rock and rolled his shoulders. A path from the cottage wound up the mountainside to the very top, which was surprisingly flat. Like a circus ring. Or a bumpy, rocky arena. Good for training, but even better for horizon gazing. During the summer, Gray and Luca had a tradition whenever they practiced magic – watch the sunrise from the top of the mountain first. He missed that now.
"Y'know that teleportation's just a kinda spatial magic, right? Manipulating space? Like what Erza does?" Luca, sitting on a rock on the other side of the mountaintop, nodded. "Basically, this kinda teleportation is used to travel. What you do is, you place an anchor somewhere and teleport to it from wherever you are."
"Neat. How many anchors can you have?"
Gray held up one finger. "Only the most recent one will be active." He opened his fist and created a flat lump of ice. "Marking is the process of putting an anchor down. I do it by placing a rune on an object." He covered the ice chunk with his other hand and light erupted from between the gaps of his fingers. "Like this. There, look at that."
He tossed it to Luca, who caught it and turned it over. "Huh. Looks like a snowflake."
"Just my take on it. Now I want you to fling it up in the air."
"You sure?"
"Mhmm. Do it."
"Aight. If you say so…" Luca glanced at him and after seeing him nod, threw the chunk of ice straight up. Gray watched it sail up in a curve, waited until it got as far as it would go and then, just as it started its journey back down, he let the magic flow.
Immediately, he was transported to a realm he could never quite explain. It was claustrophobic, like being trapped in a potato sack, but he knew there was space all around him – more space than he could ever comprehend. Mixed with it was the feeling of freefalling through the sky, hurtling through the cosmic darkness faster than should be possible. Yet, something kept pulling back – like he was shot out of a cannon into a velveteen curtain which broke his speed. Not by much, but enough.
And then, he was really falling.
The sting of the cold air made him open his eyes. He squinted, knowing that he was roughly 7 feet from the ground – not even a threat. Reflexively, he reached out and caught the Marked ice chunk. The rune felt warm against his palm and he threw it back to Luca after he landed on his feet.
"And that's how it's done," he told the boy, smirking.
"Show-off!" Luca grinned ear to ear. "But that was cool! Ya gotta teach me that!"
"Ask me once you make a hummingbird."
"Oh, boo."
Part of Gray was happy that Luca was taking an active interest in things outside of his talent pool. If he was willing to learn new things, it would be easier for him to find a place in the world. But the other part regretted showing off, too. He knew Luca wouldn't shut up about it for weeks.
And he was right.
When asked to teach teleportation for the sixty-seventh time that day, Gray sighed, hands on his hips, and clicked his tongue.
"Has that become reflex for you?" he asked the unapologetic boy. "How many times can you keep asking?"
Luca, sitting on a chair, trying to make an ice bee flap its wings, laughed and kicked up his legs. "Oh, Gray, ya don't wanna challenge me to things like that. I'll record that question and blast it on loop."
Gray shivered and went back to cleaning the tabletop. "A goddamn terrorist is what you are." He paused. "Wait, don't you have a date?"
"Yeah."
"Why aren't you getting ready?"
"I am ready. I just gotta slide on down to the village."
Gray rolled his eyes. "At least put some perfume on. You haven't changed clothes in two days." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the boy lifting his arms and sniffing himself. "Girls can always tell."
A crease of worry appeared on Luca's forehead and Gray snickered silently.
"Can I borrow yours?" the boy asked eventually. "I like the smell. What is it?"
"Flirt Fern," Gray replied. He put away the cleaning rag and threw Luca a smirk. "I'm not even making it up."
"Dude, that's awesome." Luca grinned. He got off the chair and stretched. "Where'd ya find it?"
"I didn't. It was a gift from Erza." He opened the fridge and took out a water bottle. "Coupla years ago."
"Wow. She gives you a perfume called Flirt Fern and you still can't take a hint?" Luca shook his head. "I feel bad for her."
"Uh-huh." Gray turned around, bottle to his lips. He reached out and ruffled Luca's hair with his free hand. "When's your date? It's almost 7 pm."
"Soon. We're gonna watch a movie at her place."
"Yeah? What movie?"
"The Plateau of Passion."
Gray successfully choked on his water. He bent over coughing and Luca stepped in and clapped him on the back, laughing all the while.
"God," he croaked, straightening, and put the bottle away. Sitting down heavily on the nearest chair, Gray frowned at his ward. "Condoms?"
"Jeez, not at her place, c'mon. Her mom lives there!"
Gray nodded to himself and drummed the table with his right hand. "Things with you two going well?"
"So far, yeah."
"You thinkin' it might last?"
"I hope so," Luca replied as he shrugged off his shirt and went into Gray's room. "But I don't think she's one for moving."
Gray nodded to himself. "And you don't wanna do long distance?"
"Nope." He heard the sound of perfume leaving the bottle. The scent hit him soon after. "Learnt my lesson watchin' you pine. I ain't got your will, Gray. I can't stay away like that."
"Well, here's hoping you don't have to," Gray muttered to himself. He sat there at the table, leaning his head back and staring up at the ceiling.
This was the closest he'd come to admitting out loud that he really did pine for Erza. He knew it was true. Knew well. But saying it was a big no-no. Saying it meant accepting it, and that meant opening up possibilities. Not really something he was equipped to handle. All he wanted was for her to come back safe and sound. If he got that, he'd be happy.
"Gray…?"
Cautious. Panicked. Shaky. Luca's voice communicated all three emotions at once, and Gray turned to look at him, surprised out of his thoughts.
The boy looked white as a sheet, standing at the doorway, the opened perfume bottle in one hand and the cap in the other. He pointed right at his chest.
"What're you doing?"
Gray furrowed his brows. "I'm not doi-"
But then he felt it. His fingers. Against his own throat. Sliding up from the hollow to the bulge, his fingers feeling cold even on his own skin. And yet, he couldn't even feel himself moving his right hand.
"Fetch the injection for me?" he said very calmly, trying to control his breathing.
Luca shot back into the room. Gray tried peering down his nose at his hand, knowing full well that he wouldn't like the sight.
He couldn't feel his hand move, wasn't even aware of flexing his arm muscles or moving his arm in any way. In fact, he couldn't even stop it. It felt like a betrayal. As if his body, the thing he trusted unconsciously, has shut off his access to one of his limbs. And it was terrifying.
But then he felt his fingers latch onto his throat and knew real panic.
Even as he tried to wrench away his right wrist with his left, even as he felt his palm crush his throat and his fingernails dig into the carotid arteries, even as he started kicking out with his legs in a futile attempt at lashing out at an assailant who wasn't there, Gray had to laugh.
I'm killing myself, he thought as his feet found the table and kicked, tipping the chair over. Gray fell back, hitting the back of his head against the maplewood floor. Whether from the impact or the strangulation, he didn't know, but the corners of his vision started darkening. He felt his left hand falling limp and knew that he had no chance to pull the murderous right hand away.
He lay on the chair, his legs pointing skywards, and choked out a chuckle.
I'm choking the life out of myself, and it isn't even me!
It was pretty hilarious, he thought.
But then he did feel his right arm peel away. The lack of pressure on his windpipe allowed him to breathe. He coughed, sucked in a painful, shuddering breath, and blinked furiously until his vision cleared.
When it did, he saw Luca standing over him, filling the injection with the medicine and panting. He turned and saw his right hand, clawing furiously at the air, pinned to the floor, Luca's foot on his wrist.
"Aight, injection's full." Luca tapped it gently. "Where's the vein?"
"Not enough time, just jam it into my heart."
"You sure?"
"Luca!"
The boy hesitated for a split second, then nodded. Gray watched him pensively as he knelt, placing his shin across his forearm to keep his hand at bay, and held the injection in a reverse grip.
"Dio aiutami," he muttered, holding the syringe aloft like an axe, and brought it down swiftly onto his chest.
Gray shuddered, gasping. The shock from the needle penetrating his heart was negated by the pain of Luca's fist hammering into his sternum, and he coughed. He reflexively wanted to sit up, but as soon as Luca pushed the drug into his bloodstream, Gray felt a familiar lethargy sweep through him.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes, his chest heaving slowly. He could feel the injection sticking out of his chest, but he was too tired to care.
"Gray? You okay?"
Luca's worried voice came from directly over him. Gray couldn't open his eyes. Perhaps the boy had used a larger dose than necessary. Even so, he'd saved his life. Gray lifted his left hand with some difficulty and patted Luca's arm.
"Ffffiiinne," he slurred. "Sssllleeeepy."
"Heh. Okay, big guy, let's get you to bed."
Consciousness slipping away, Gray was mildly aware of Luca pulling him up to a seated position, looping his left arm around his neck, and getting him to his feet. Though mist clogged up his senses, Gray tried his best to make it easier on Luca. He tried not leaning too heavily, and carrying his own weight, but he didn't know if he was successful.
Before sleep overtook his senses, he was aware of hitting the bed, of a pillow under his head and a blanket over his body. He tried to pull the syringe off his chest but neither of his arms agreed to move. Luca was saying... something, but he couldn't understand a word. It all sounded like garbled static from the radio.
The weirdest dreams always came to him when he was under the influence of the drug. Transparent dragons, falling from the sky, talking snakes with red hair. The weirdest shit. He never remembered the whole thing when he woke up, which he counted as a blessing.
And as he woke up from his stupor, he had no idea what had happened to put him to sleep in the first place. He lay in bed for a while, wondering why he felt so abnormally light-headed. It didn't even feel like he had it in him to sit up.
Instead, Gray turned his head to the left. The face of his clock read 4:18 AM. He stared at the second hand, listening to the tick-tock. Something about that continuous, non-stop mechanical labour made him conscious of the need to get up.
If a clock can keep going, I can, too, he told himself and pushed himself up. Then again, it's got batteries. I don't.
"Wish I had batteries," he muttered and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. He sat there, elbows on his thighs, and rubbed his face.
If it was 4:18, he'd gotten up late. He sighed and took the little alarm clock in his hand. Found that the alarm hadn't been set the previous night.
Huh.
Rising to his feet, Gray felt wobbly. He steadied himself against the wall and, immediately, moments from last evening flashed behind his eyelids. He gasped, fingers curling but finding no purchase on the smooth wall.
I almost killed myself, he thought, resting his forehead against the wall. Had it not been for Luca...
He was unquantifiably grateful to the boy, though he knew that it was just good fortune that he hadn't left on his date already.
I wonder what he woulda done if he came home and found me dead. He didn't like where his mind was going, but he could never control his thoughts. What if I attack him someday?
No. No.
But what if I end up killing him? It'd be my fault!
Stop thinking about that.
It'd be my fault for being unable to control myself, my fault for making him stay with me despite knowing how unstable I am. I should send him away. I can't be around people. I shouldn't be around people.
Please. Please stop thinking.
I can't! I fucking can't!
"God!" Gray bellowed, pulling his right fist back and punching the wall full force. "Damn!" Again. "It!" And again. "Fuck!" And again.
He struck the wall until his knuckles bled, punishing his hand for its unnatural disobedience. He would've kept doing it if Luca hadn't stepped and caught his wrist.
"Whoa, whoa, dude, stop, you'll break your hand!"
"Maybe I should," Gray replied bitterly, ripping his hand out of Luca's grip. "Maybe then I won't hafta worry."
He turned away from the wall, away from Luca now standing limply and unsure of what to say, and faced the bed. His knuckles stung, but it helped distract himself from his thoughts. Pain was good for that.
"Hey," Luca began.
"What?"
"It wasn't your fault."
Gray barked out a laugh and covered his face with his left hand. Pinched his eyes. He didn't say anything.
"I'm serious. This ain't something you can control. I know it's hard-"
"I feel like a god damn ticking time bomb," Gray interrupted, letting his hands fall limp by his side. "It's like I'm waiting for shit to happen. I mean, who's next? You? Heidi? Fuckin' Peter? Erza?" He shook his head and sighed, realising that his voice had been rising with every name. "I just... I dunno if I can keep doin' this. To you, and to myself. Because fuck knows I don't deserve it."
Verbalising what he did and didn't deserve was difficult. Saying that he deserved better infinitely more so. He'd wondered many times, always stopping on that one question nobody had the answer to.
Why me?
"You don't. You really don't." He felt Luca's hand on his shoulder. Felt him squeeze. "I dunno how you do it either, but you do a damn good job of being my teacher. Now, I know that I'm not always the best-" Gray scoffed, "-but you're one of two people who I want to be proud of me."
Luca waited for a reply, but Gray said nothing. So he twined his arms around Gray's torso. Placed his cheek against his back.
"You gave me a life," he said, voice wavering. "You did, when nobody else did. You sacrifice day in and day out for me, you prepared me for the world. You think you can just train me and send me out there and then die alone on this fuckin' mountain? You're wrong. I worry about you, Heidi worries about you, and we'll always be around to take care of you no matter how much of a risk you think you are to others. Or yourself."
Gray tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He tasted the salty tang of his tears on the corner of his lips, but didn't bother wiping them away.
"You're not allowed to give up on yourself before every other person in your life has given up on you. And even if they all do, even if Auntie Erza does, I won't. You still have to teach me teleportation, so don't you even dare think about giving up because life throws you some bullshit." Luca paused. When he spoke next, his voice was steadier. More solid. "You gotta fight. You gotta fight with everything you got to make sure people don't give up on you. You gotta fight like a madman to make sure you have people left to disappoint. You're an adult, so you might think you've got nothing left to prove, but you do! You gotta prove to me, to Heidi, Auntie Erza, and to yourself, that you're worth it. And you can't make them believe unless you believe in yourself, either. You gotta accept that it's not your fault, this thing you live with, and that it doesn't reduce your value to us, or any other bullshit like that. Because I can't take being alone again. I can't, Gray, I can't."
"Stop," Gray said softly and turned around, putting his arms around the boy's shoulders and pulling him close. "Stop, you silly kid." He brushed Luca's hair and pressed his lips to the boy's crown. "You're not alone. You never will be."
Luca nodded against his chest. "What about you?"
Gray hesitated. He knew that what Luca has told him was right. Undoubtedly. But making a promise, a declaration like that... it always gave him pause.
"I'm tired of disappointing others," he said finally. "I'm just... tired in general." He kissed Luca's head again. "But for you, I'll keep fighting. Still gotta see you become a full-fledged mage. Get married." Luca snorted. "Have kids."
"Dude, chill, I'm still seventeen."
"All I wanna say is that I really don't see the point sometimes," he told Luca, pulling away and holding him at a distance. "It's really hard to. I don't see myself the way you do. I don't owe it to myself." He tried smiling. Half succeeded. "But I love you, and I don't wanna hurt you, either. So I'll try. Try to be worthy of all that faith you have in me. I really don't wanna disappoint you either."
Instead of replying, Luca swallowed him up in a bear hug. Gray chuckled silently, stroking the boy's hair.
It was true. He didn't deserve all the bullshit he got. But being frustrated about it wouldn't change that. He would have to put in the effort to make things change.
"I'll try," he repeated softly and closed his eyes. "Things'll be better."
He hoped, anyway. And besides, trying never hurt.
It was announced on February 14th that the Chosen Frozen had completed construction of the research station. Fireworks went off all over Fiore and, indeed, the world. Hisui was the one to break the news in an impromptu conference, where she gave an impassioned speech about the heights Fiore had reached, and how their legacy of superiority had been cemented.
It was a good speech, and Gray was sure she would keep people invested in and loyal to the royal family for a while longer, but he wasn't satisfied. Not until a video was released on the news, where Erza and Wendy showed the viewers around the station. They explored every room, went over what every piece of equipment did, and some funny stories about construction.
She looks well, Gray thought as he watched the video for the tenth time that day. He wished it was longer – seven minutes wasn't nearly enough. He really couldn't make out whether she was eating properly. It was hard to see whether she'd lost weight through all the parkas.
All morning, on the way to Ateh, he wondered when Erza would be on the radio again. It was a given that it would happen soon, but he just couldn't wait. He wanted to hear her voice, hear her pride and happiness upon completing such a monumental task. Even while there, as everybody around him celebrated, as Luca waltzed around with Heidi, Gray stayed away from the hustle and bustle.
The town square had come alive with lights – they were all celebrating the fact that this great feat had been achieved by adventurers wearing their traditional parkas, made by one of them. It was a huge source of pride and the town would no doubt get a crap load of publicity, but Gray couldn't bring himself to care.
He walked down the main thoroughfare, listening to the waves crashing in the distance. The darkness permeated every sphere of life, hanging heavily over everyone. It was mid-afternoon, but he didn't feel it. There was no sign of even a sliver of sunlight. None whatsoever.
"The party is the other way," a voice called out, and Gray had to laugh. He looked up and saw Emilie sitting on a rocking chair on the front porch, silhouetted against the bright yellow light escaping her open doorframe. She had knitting needles in her hand, and a boll of orange wool on the ground beside her chair. She held up her creation. "Sweater for my granddaughter."
Chuckling, Gray took a left and walked up to her. "Keeping your skills alive, huh?"
"If retirement has given me anything, it's time." She placed the knitting needles on her skirt and took his outstretched hand. Shook it. "Why aren't you having fun?"
"I'm a grumpy old man and this is too much noise."
"Mmm. I see Luca brought his girlfriend with him."
"Yeah." Gray shrugged. "I suggested it. Be good for both of them if they travel together a little bit."
The old woman nodded. "Good. I'm glad. He needs his own life."
"I've been trying to convince him to leave," Gray confessed, earning a curious glance from Emilie. "Not trying to drive him out or anything. Not like that. I was trying to get him to go back to Fiore. Apprentice at one of the guilds. Get a wider range of experience and figure out what he wants to do in life."
"And? Is he of the same mind?"
"Yes and no. He sees the point and definitely agrees that it'll be good for him." Gray paused. "But he doesn't want to leave just yet. Maybe in a couple of years."
Emilie nodded again and picked up her knitting needles. "Good. I hope by then you'll figure out what you want, too."
Gray narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Instead of replying, Emilie laughed and shook her head. "Are you proud of your friends, Gray?"
Though he squinted at her ferociously, Emilie was not forthcoming about her previous statement. Eventually, Gray sighed and crossed his hands over his chest.
"I guess I am. They've done something nobody has. Heh. Then again, I'm not surprised. It's kind of their hobby at this point."
"Do you miss being with them?"
"Nah," he replied instantly. "I've made peace with the fact that my gallivanting days are done. I don't want to have to go back to that. Adventure for adventure's sake, I miss, but I can do that by myself. Chasing glory, I'm tired of."
"You sure you don't want to get rid of the boy so you can turn into a drifting adventurer?"
"You see right through me, huh?" Gray laughed. "No. I like my mountain. I like this place. I might take holidays once in a while, but I'm always coming back."
"Holidays, hmm?" Emilie raised an eyebrow. "To Fiore? See your pretty red-haired friend?"
Gray narrowed his lids again, but Emilie remained unperturbed.
"All I'm saying is that you should go see her, too, once in a while. Everyone gets tired eventually if they are the one making all the effort." She smiled to herself. "She would like that, I'm sure. You should go visit once they're back home."
Gray shrugged. "I might. We'll see what happens."
"When do they get back? Have you any idea?"
"Hard to tell. Ship'll take another week to reach them, and that's an optimistic estimate." He silently did the maths. "In another month, hopefully. One more month, and they'll be back. They're cutting it close enough as it is."
"Well, you're a charismatic fellow. I'm sure you can convince the boy to take a trip to Fiore in a month. It'll be good for him." A pause. "But since he lacks in experience, it would be unwise for him to go alone. I suppose it can't be helped." She sighed. "It is your duty as his guardian to accompany him."
"You are one scheming old lady, you know that?"
"I'm retired. I have a lot of time to plot."
"Yeah, well, I won't have to convince Luca." Gray sighed and pocketed his hands. "He's gonna be pestering me to take him as soon as they dock. Speaking of which, I should go fetch them. It's almost dinner time."
"Let him dance a little longer," the old seamstress insisted. "He's young yet. At his age, I wouldn't want to be interrupted if I were dancing with my sweetheart." She smiled up at him. "Wouldn't you agree, Gray?"
Smiling in return, Gray looked back towards the town square. He could make out Luca and Heidi in the centre, grinning broadly at each other, dancing to the clapping and serenading of the tribesmen. They looked so lost in the moment, in each other, completely ignoring the cold and the sweat and the hooting, that Gray couldn't help but feel a pulse of jealousy thrum down his body.
He thought back to a long ago conversation on a balcony overlooking lights similar to what he was seeing now. He remembered her words. Hushed words, carried away by the wind. Sadness felt, but left unremarked upon. Time wasted, unseized. Words left, unspoken.
A lifetime, unlived.
"Yeah," he answered after a while, not looking away from the scene, trying to keep his smile from falling. "I wouldn't, either."
"Here you are! Dinner is served!" Heidi placed the plate of potatoes before him and joined them at the table. "Caramelised potatoes to go with the roast lamb."
"You're a godsend," Luca told her, blowing her a kiss across the table. "Isn't she a godsend, Gray?"
"Uh-huh." Gray started carving the shoulder of the lamb and filling his plate. "Heidi, why don't you teach him how to cook like you?"
"I try," the girl replied, waiting until he was done before helping herself. "And I have! It'll take him time, but I'm sure he'll be a good cook! He'll need to practice, though."
"Aww!" Luca blew her another kiss. "Anything for you, babe."
"Luca!"
Her scandalised squeak made Gray snort. "Tell him you won't kiss him until he masters a recipe. That'll get him working overtime."
"Master Gray!"
Gray reached out and ruffled her hair. "You're adorable." Then he scowled at Luca. "Don't you dare corrupt her. I'll personally thump you."
"Wow. I expected the 'Don't hurt my daughter' speech from her father. Not you." Luca fed himself a spoonful of potato. "Shouldn't you be protective of me instead?"
"Why? I know you're a dumbass. Adelheid is too pure for you. You are besmirching her reputation."
"Hey, don't use up all your big words, man. You ain't got enough."
Heidi chuckled and shook her head. "It's okay. I think his stupidity is cute most of the time."
"See?" Luca smirked at Gray. "She thinks I'm cute." Then he blew her another kiss. "Thanks, babe."
Gray rolled his eyes. "You're too stupid to realise that what she meant was: 'If you don't get your shit sorted by the time you're twenty, I'm dumping your ass in the snow.'"
"Whaaaat?! Heidi, say it ain't so!"
Seed of discord planted, Gray happily concentrated on the potatoes. Heidi had been coming over to cook at nights ever since Valentine's Day. Not that Gray minded. Seeing the two get more and more serious was pretty cute. He found their interactions fun to watch – when their youth wasn't making him feel old or jealous.
Despite that, he was pretty sure Luca and Heidi would stick it out and get married – one of the very few teenage sweethearts who made it last. They were at that age where they could plan their futures together and take the small, micro steps in that direction. Gray wanted them to talk about how they'd deal with distance if and when Luca decided to travel or take an internship somewhere. He would've brought it up, but the sound of his phone ringing in his room caught his attention.
"Be right back," he said, getting up. "No playing footsie under the table, kids."
"Master Gray!"
"Hey! That's a great idea! I'll go first!"
"Luca!"
Smirking inwardly, Gray clawed up the phone from his bed before the call disconnected, saw that it was Lyon, and received it. "'Sup, bitch?"
"Having dinner?"
He sounded a little tense. Gray hummed. "Yeah. What's up?"
"Turn on the news."
Gray's stomach turned immediately. "Lyon? What happened?"
"Just... turn it on."
"Uh-huh." Gray strode back into the kitchen. Both Luca and Heidi looked up at him when he went past the table, but he didn't react. "Any channel in particular?"
"Any one will do."
Big news, then. Either that was a very good thing, or a very bad one. Hoping it was the former, Gray set the frequency to his favourite news channel and clicked the radio on.
"-unconfirmed reports of the capsizing of the 'Nebula' have been flooding in since this afternoon. The 'Nebula'was the vessel tasked with extracting the Chosen Frozen from the South Pole in two weeks-"
Gray heard a couple of gasps in quick succession. He didn't look back at them. All he did was turn the knob and go to a different channel.
"-the cause of the sinking cannot yet be determined, but footage captured by several of the survivors do confirm that the ship is, indeed, lost. The captain-"
Click.
"-unknown at this time what this means for the Chosen Frozen. Our correspondent in Magnolia, Fiore, tried to contact the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Laxus Dreyar, but he is not answering his-"
Click.
"-of Fiore, Hisui E. Fiore, has issued a press conference at Mercurius. It is to commence in twenty minutes. We will-"
Gray clicked off the radio when he heard Heidi stifle a sob. He placed a hand on the counter and leant forward, his mind racing too fast for him to properly digest the news.
"You still there?" Lyon said in his ear and Gray jerked up, straightening.
"Yeah, I'm here," he replied, as calmly as he could. "Listen, Imma call you back, okay?"
"Okay."
He immediately dialled another number. Turning around, he saw Heidi sitting with her hands covering her mouth, eyes wide. Luca sat by her side with an arm around her shoulder. He looked at him while rubbing her shoulder. The question on his drawn face was apparent: What now?
There was no answer. Neither for Luca, nor to the call. When it disconnected, Gray dialled again. Then again. And again.
Finally, on the sixth try, Cana picked up.
"Gray." She sounded exhausted. Her voice broke instantly. "Oh God, Gray."
"Is Laxus there?" Gray asked. He wished he could stop. He wished he could offer her some kind words, some reassurance. But his mind was bent on action. "I needta talk to him."
"Yeah. Hold on." The clip-clop of boots. "Laxus? Laxus. It's Gray." A pause. A very heavy breath, akin to a sigh.
Then: "I wanted the next time I spoke to you to not be under circumstances like these." Another, heavier sigh. "What can I do for you, Gray?"
Gray closed his eyes. Squeezed the phone tight, squeezed until he was afraid it would break. Then he took a deep breath.
"I want a ship," he replied. "You have three days. I'm bringing them back with me."