"I hate cinnamon."

"I know."

"Like, I'm practically allergic to it."

"I know."

"Why did you tell Lucy to bring it then?"

"Because you going into anaphylactic shock would be the least worrisome thing you've put me through all week." Erza said calmly.

The redhead settled back into her chair in Gray's hospital room as he sat on the bed rather impatiently. It was easy to tell he wanted to get up and leave, but the doctors nor Erza would let that happen.

Grabbing the yogurt from Lucy's hand, Erza snagged a plastic spoon from Gray's food tray and began eating.

"So I paid for your lunch and his torture?" Lucy asked, just to be clear. She still had the bag of Hot Tamales in her hand, and she was skeptical to give them to Gray.

Erza rolled her eyes. "He's not actually allergic, he's just being a baby."

"I hate cinnamon, Erza." Gray scowled.

"And I hate you at the moment. We're even." Erza reprimanded him thoroughly before turning back to Lucy. "Thanks for coming."

Lucy just smiled wearily. She dropped the bag of spiced candy beside Gray's leg. It was obvious he was holding back from kicking it across the room.

Erza sighed quietly before standing up. Looking down at the phone in her hands, the redhead took a deep breath. "Well, I'll be going. I have plans." She said wanly. "Make sure Gray doesn't screw anything up again."

With that, Erza slipped her phone into her back pocket and walked out. Lucy wasn't sure if Erza had seemed sad, anxious, or something in between. Had Gray done that, or was it something else?

"Don't mind her, she's not good with goodbyes." Gray said mid-yawn. He stretched his bare arms out in front of him. "She really would stay, but she has a busy schedule. Like-" Gray was cut himself off as if he went against it.

"What for?" Lucy asked in intrigue. She fell back a few inches until she sat at the foot of Gray's hospital bed.

The raven haired man chuckled. "Not my place to tell you." That sounds familiar. "You didn't have to come, though."

Lucy furrowed her brows at him slightly. "Erza told me you wanted to see me. I can't exactly pass that up."

Gray's cocky smile faltered. "She said that?"

His sudden seriousness made Lucy clam up. Was she not supposed to say that? "Yeah. She said you weren't talking to her, and that it'd be easier to talk to me."

Gray's chest sunk into himself as his lungs deflated with a deep sigh. "She's pretty deductive, I guess."

Lucy faltered. "So you do want to talk to me?"

"It's not that simple." Gray rubbed his pale hands over his face as a sign of indefinite stress. "Erza and I are too close. You know how sometimes you're so close to people that you can't tell them everything? It's like you trust them too much?"

Lucy couldn't be more off base with him. "Yeah." She lied simply.

If Gray noticed her lies, then he didn't give any hints to it. "Erza's really smart. It's like she always knows what's going on without me having to tell her. I don't like that."

"And it's easier to confide in people that don't seem so perfect." Lucy finished for him.

She swore she saw the corners of Gray's lips tug upwards in a slight grin. "Erza's too perfect. I don't know what you've been through, but whatever it is, I know you deal with it still."

"Why do you say that?" By now she was asking just out of curiosity.

Gray shrugged nonchalantly, like this was now a breeze. "It's the way we carry ourselves. I don't know how Erza does it-I mean she's been through just as much as me yet she's so responsible it's like she's my mother."

They both laughed quietly, two sets of eyes looking at their own laps sadly instead of each other. "She's a lucky one." Gray nodded his head in agreement, and Lucy continued. "Still want to talk?"

Hesitating a moment, Gray just shook his head. "Not yet. If I can avoid it then I will."

Lucy swing anyway. "Does it deal with why you got beat up?"

Gray just chuckled again. "Yes. But it was for a good cause." Lucy raised a brow at him skeptically, and he said with an air of drama, "It was for love."

Somewhat teasingly and somewhat genuinely, Lucy made a surprised O shape with her mouth. "Tell me more, tell me more."

Gray scrunched up his nose in detest to hide his smile. "I'll tell you about my love life when you tell me about yours."

Lucy's stomach turned just thinking about it. Here in the fluorescent lights of the hospital room with her first friend in a long time didn't seen like the appropriate opportunity to discuss her and Natsu's earlier encounter. She just stuck out her hand. "Deal."

His hand reached out and gingerly shook hers back. "Deal."

For a moment, things were alright. No worries of outside love lives, school yard bullies, or long lost friends. Just newfound company in friendly companionship.

"Can we leave now?" Gray asked quickly, his tone turning unamused.

The blonde laughed and stood up. She held out her hand, enjoying being able to help him instead of the other way around. I was refreshing to see Gray in more need than her. "Yes, ma'am."

Gray snorted as he got out of bed. He grunted softly from stiff joints and aching bruises, but grabbed on to her hand nonetheless.

"What do you say we find Natsu and give him those candies? He loves disgusting crap like that."

Lucy pressed her lips together as a smile took over her face. "I'm sure he does."

Just as Gray had prompted and told Lucy many times, Natsu was doing absolutely nothing productive when they met up with him. This was actually the first time Lucy had seem his front door up close.

Her and Gray walked back to her apartment, figuring Natsu would be there. Lucy asked Gray to call him and be sure, but he denied by stubbornly.

Gray pounded on Natsu's door with his fist so loudly Lucy hit him on the shoulder to shut up. "What?" He hissed. Either he was stupid or oblivious; Lucy didn't care for either option.

There were standing outside for a minute or so impatiently before Natsu finally answered. He had a fluffy hand towel laid over his wet hair, the pink strands looking red while wet. He looked like he both just woke up from a nap and just got out of the shower.

"Dude, put a shirt on." Gray scoffed.

Natsu leaned against his half-open door, giving his friend an obviously stupid look. "Look who's talking, stripper."

Gray's face flushed so much that she didn't doubt he actually was a stripper. Occupational too, not just hobbyist. Why else would he get so flustered?

Snatching the bag of red hot candies from Lucy, he shoved them into Natsu's chest. The pink haired boy immediately lit up with happiness. "Awesome, I love cinnamon."

Gray almost gagged. "Happy birthday."

"It's not my-"

"It's just a saying, don't comment on it." Gray sassed quickly.

Natsu was too happy to argue back. "Thanks." He looked at Lucy, as they came from her originally. "I take it you bought these?"

Lucy nodded proudly. "Recommended by your favorite redhead."

Raising his hand up to his head, Natsu fluffed his wet hair in the towel. "Thank Mavis for Erza. Why though?"

Both Gray and Lucy exchanged a clueless look. Rather than dwelling on their friend's odd shopping requests, Gray asked, "Can we come in or no?"

Natsu was silent a moment before slamming the door shut. "No."

Just like that, the vague smiling facade Gray put up had fallen into a very plain face. "I hate him."

Lucy turned her attention back to the door. She couldn't wonder what his apartment looked like: messy frat boy? oddly clean young man? There really was no knowing with him. Either way, she just expected it to be filthy.

Before she could reassure Gray not to break the door down, Natsu answered again, this time sans hair towel and plus t-shirt. "Are we going to just stand in my doorway all day?" He laughed to himself.

Gray furrowed his brows; Lucy wondered how close he was to exploding. "Where else would we go? We don't have plans."

Natsu nodded indefinitely. "Yeah, Erza called me before you came over. Invited me over for dinner."

Lucy couldn't help but fiddle with the zipper on her jacket. "She invited you, not the rest of us."

There was no way Lucy would feel comfortable hanging out with Erza without the woman's consent; she could snap Lucy's wrist in a heartbeat, and Lucy wouldn't chance that. However, Natsu just smiled and shut his door behind him, locking up.

"She likes you, don't worry. Beside, they always like having people over." Natsu turned to walk away, not waiting for them to follow.

"They?" Lucy looked at Gray with worry, but he just shook his head as if to say, 'you'll see.'

Lucy's stomach churned until it felt like a black hole. She was glad to have friends-people who dragged her out and forced her to try these new things-but right now she wanted to run back to her apartment.

Natsu looked over his shoulder at her, giving her that infamous carefree smile. "Never been to a dinner party before?" He laughed as he grabbed her forearm gently, making sure to avoid the bare skin on her hand.

Lucy sighed blankly. "Yeah. I have." She murmured.

Natsu's face paled. He looked away, but she was more than relieved when he didn't let go of her. When remembering those parties she attended as a child, she needed someone to just hold her.

Even if it was subtle, that's what he did.

Prior arriving at Erza's apartment, Lucy began to wish she put on more deodorant. Her anxiety sweats were off the charts.

Gray and Natsu's casualness made her even more worried. Normally the calm atmosphere should comfort her, but she felt as if she wasn't quite meant to be there.

Climbing up to the second floor of the redhead's building, the two boys stopped in front of her door. Natsu knocked once before the door swung open like someone was waiting.

"Natsu!" A little girl jumped into Natsu's arms. With a grunt, he caught her and spun the toddler around a few times.

"Hey, squirt." Natsu ruffled her hair before she pushed past him and attached herself to Gray's leg.

"Emily!" A cold, masculine voice shouted from inside, but the girl didn't care. A blue haired man leaned against the door as he scolded Gray's new companion. "What did I say about opening the door for strangers?"

The girl scoffed. "It's Gray, daddy, not a stranger."

"She's a stranger." Natsu pointed to Lucy. Gray hissed and smacked away Natsu, giving him yet another glare. Not helping, he seemed to say.

The blue haired man sighed and gave Lucy a weary smile. "Come on in, you guys." He stepped aside to let the three of them file in.

Lucy pretended not to notice his outstretched hand, instead looking around the apartment. "I always thought Erza lived alone."

Jellal laughed as if he heard that a lot. Before he could explain, Emily let out a shrill laugh as she ran across the apartment. Jumping into the arms of a tall redhead, Emily buried her face in Erza's hair.

Erza sighed. She gave Natsu a spiteful look, making Lucy wish she truly hadn't come. As if to say, 'oh well, she's already here,' Erza gave them a small smile.

"That's Jellal." She explained, her eyes looking at Jellal with a fondness that was undeniably love. "And this is my daughter, Emily."

Lucy glanced at Gray quickly enough to see his coy smirk. Without speaking, his words were obvious: Surprise.

Nalu Lemon Novel
Exy Koroleva © 2016
Thank you for reading.
Some triggering scenes
to be included, so please
do not report. Comments
& votes are appreciated.