Chapter Five
To Be Alone
Mira rolled her eyes as she tugged Macbeth out of the back of her police van, three of her coworkers dragging Eric, Sorano, and Sawyer out in a similar manner. They'd all caused quite the ruckus on their drive from the school, the black haired boy complaining a lot louder than rest. She was more than ready to have him out of her jurisdiction, glad to finally be able to toss him over to coworkers and be free of her headache.
Macbeth relentlessly struggled and tugged against her surprisingly sturdy grasp, his black-painted lips pulling back in a sneer, "Let go of me! I didn't do anything wrong!"
Gray was silent as he was pulled out of the back seat of the police car parked next to the van, simply letting Laxus lead into him to the station without any hint of a struggle. He hoped that since Mira and Laxus were involved in the investigation, his punishment would be no greater than a fine. He trusted in them not only because they were the older siblings of two of his best friends, but also because they were disciples of reason, and they'd see that his actions, no matter how violent they'd been, were in defense of those who couldn't protect themselves.
But then again, that was only if Macbeth and his friends were completely honest with their testimonies about what had happened on the roof, which he had a feeling wouldn't be the case. They'd probably leave out a lot all of the information about their own misdeeds and try to pin the blame for their fight on him. And with Lucy excused from the case until after her brother's funeral, there was no one but himself to testify to his innocence.
Macbeth tugged his cuffed hands in Gray's direction, following through with the raven haired boy's suspicions, "That punk punched me first! It's all his fault!"
Gray pressed his lips into a thin line, flinching a bit when the action pulled at the bruise in the corner of his mouth.
The white haired cop relentlessly tugged her charge forward, no longer bothering to be gentle as he stumbled behind her to stay on his feet, "Just be quiet already! We'll talk inside!"
"Gray! Gray!"
The raven haired boy looked over his shoulder at the familiar cry of his name, swallowing heavily as Natsu, Loke, and Elfman rushed into the police station's parking lot. He had a feeling that they'd run all the way from the high school, which knowing the three of them, they most likely had.
He didn't have a chance to say anything to them, Laxus passing him to another police officer he didn't know who quickly drug him inside behind the others. And he was grateful for it, still not completely sure how he felt towards Natsu at the moment.
Concern was the less prominent of only two emotions that clearly registered within him as he thought about his salmon haired rival. His best friend certainly hadn't been acting like himself as of late, and the raven haired boy had a hunch that it had something to do with his siblings. He'd always known that what had happened to Wendy had affected Natsu a great deal, though he had a sneaking suspicion that his salmon haired rival was still withholding a lot of his hurt inside, hiding it behind his signature bright grin like he always did.
Anger was the only other prominent emotion that he could distinctly pick out from the turmoil within him; anger over their fight and anger over his refusal to help Lucy. And this anger was different from the rage that normally fueled their common brawls. It was heavy and made his blood boil, and he was fearful of the destruction that he could cause to their friendship if he let it get the better of him.
Laxus huffed out a breath as he turned to the three teenagers that stumbled to a stop in front of him, his brows quirking in annoyance. A kid had just committed suicide, and dealing with his little brother and his friends wasn't what he needed to be focusing on at the moment.
"Laxus! Laxus! Gray did nothing wrong!" Loke heatedly pointed an accusing finger at the disappearing backs of those he'd brought in with the raven haired boy, "It was all those bastards!"
Natsu was slightly hunched over, huffing from his mad dash to the police station. But his voice was still full of its usual fire as he insisted, "He just went up there to help Lucy and her brother. It wasn't his fault!"
The blond cop let out a heavy sigh, his lips pressing into a grim line, "As much as I'd like to have this whole thing over with quickly, I can't just let him go on your word alone. Someone died today, and we have to do a proper investigation." He scanned his gaze over the three boys, his eyes lingering on his little brother for a few moments longer than the other two, "It'd be best if you all went home for now. If you all truly believe that Gray's innocent, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Now stop pestering me and focus on your studies."
He turned and started up the steps to the station without another word, leaving the three friends alone in the parking lot, each of them silently grieving over the lack of the last person who completed their group.
Jude set his shovel against the cattle enclosure as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, slipping his gloves free of his hands before he answered, "Hello? Yes, this is Jude Heartfilia."
His brows furrowed in disbelief, the blood in his veins turning to ice at the words of the voice on the other line, "W...what?"
A bowl slipped from Layla's now limp hands to shatter against the floor, her phone clattering to the ground in the midst of the shards.
She fell to her knees beside the broken mess, her hands clutching at her chest above her heart as sobs consumed her frame.
Precht's lips pressed into a thin line as he overlooked his congregation, noting in satisfaction that there was a pair of new faces amongst the crowd. Ultear had spoken to him of their arrival, and the Conbolt family's story had immediately piqued his interest.
The single father had come seeking aid for his son, who suffered from an intellectual disability. Life after his wife's death had been hard, and he'd found himself unable to single-handedly support his son in their endeavors. His worry for his child's future had driven him to desperate measures, and so he'd been drawn to the church and its promises of salvation for all of its followers.
With their pasts in mind, the preacher slowly walked through the aisle in the center of the congregation towards the father, his mic clasped in his right hand. He crouched down next to the kneeling man, his voice low as he questioned, "Sir…where do you think evil spirits reside?" At the man's somewhat apprehensive silence, Precht chose to answer the question himself, "They don't have the face of frightful monsters. Evil spirits always surround you, and they approach you, masked behind good-natured faces. At times, as your friend, your spouse, or even your child to lure you in and manipulate your trust."
The father's lips pressed into a grim line as he glanced at his son, whose fingers were absentmindedly twiddling against the cushion beneath him, obviously not paying any attention to the things going on around him, "Then…what should I do?"
Precht held the man's questioning gaze, his voice low as he ministered, "Believe in the Almighty. And…believe in me."
Lucy swallowed heavily in a fruitless attempt to ease the uncomfortable tightness her throat, tears silently streaming down her own cheeks as she watched her parents give their final goodbyes to their son. Her mother had fallen to her knees, clutching a framed photo of Sting to her chest as she sobbed while her father apologized over and over for not doing enough, his trembling hands resting atop the closed casket.
They'd only received one group of visitors to their room in the funeral home, and Lucy's heart had numbly dropped even further as soon as they'd entered the space. Precht and his apostles were the last people she wanted to see, and if anything, their condolences had only served to upset her parents even further.
Ultear had given Lucy a large bouquet of white flowers while the preacher offered her parents a short sermon before he left, the dark haired apostle vowing that she'd always be there to protect her in the future.
Her promise did nothing to comfort the blonde. She didn't need an apostle who promised salvation and sanctuary. She needed her brother back.
Lucy shoved all thoughts of the dark haired disciple and the preacher aside, her natural instincts to take care of her family kicking in again as she kneeled beside her crumpled mother.
Layla's fingers were absentmindedly tracing over the soft smile on Sting's photographed face, her tears quietly slipping from her skin to patter against the glass.
The blond girl swallowed heavily, her voice slightly hoarse as she placed a hand on her mother's shoulder, "Mom…you haven't eaten anything today. We should go get some food from the cafeteria."
The woman shook her head softly as she quietly choked out, "We…we shouldn't have come here."
"Mom…please-"
"I should've looked after you better. I'm sorry I couldn't do that," she clutched the picture of her son to her chest as she sobbed, "I didn't want to live like my mother…I didn't want to die first and leave my child behind…But in the end…I couldn't even protect my own son." Her face scrunched in sorrow, "I ended up becoming the worse kind of mother there is."
The flow of Lucy's tears resumed as she watched her mother rock back and forth with the picture held tight against her chest.
Jude kneeled beside his wife and pulled her sobbing form into his side, glancing at his daughter as he softly spoke, "Lucy…why don't you take a walk and get some fresh air for a bit? I'll stay here with her."
The blonde nodded softly, sniffling as she stood and left the room.
Natsu let out a heavy sigh as he pulled his motorcycle to a stop, his lips pressing into a grim line as he glanced at the doors of the funeral home.
He'd come without really thinking much on why he inexplicably had the need to visit the Heartfilia family during their time of mourning, hoping that he'd figure it out the moment he saw Lucy. He had no idea what he was going to say to the blonde, but he figured that apologizing would be a decent start. He knew that no one was placing the blame on him, but he couldn't help but wonder whether or not things would have gone differently had he not refused Lucy's cry for help. If he'd been there, then maybe Lucy would have been able to keep an eye on her brother instead of worrying about Sorano and Sting wouldn't have ended up killing himself. And maybe Gray wouldn't have gotten beaten up as bad as he had and they'd both be sitting in that cell at the police station together instead of the raven haired boy being confined all on his own.
The salmon haired boy shook his head to clear his thoughts as he started up the stairs towards the entrance, knowing that it was pointless to think about the 'what-ifs.' His adoptive father had always taught him to stick to the path he'd chosen with no regrets, and that dealing with things as they were in the present was always more important than wasting time by wishing to go back and change things.
Natsu froze on the very top step when the glass door swung open and the very blonde he'd been searching for stumbled to a stop in front of him. Her red, swollen eyes widened when she saw him standing there, and he reacted similarly, his frame tensing and his throat tightening as he thought over what to say.
Despite his hopes, a proper conversation starter didn't immediately come to mind, his thoughts instead a horrid mess of a thousand different things as he saw the dried tear tracks on her cheeks.
Before he could let himself chicken out, he quietly blurted the simplest of many things that came to mind, "I'm sorry…for the way I acted."
Lucy swallowed heavily, her gaze dropping to the cement beneath their feet as she softly choked out, "Do…did you at least have a reason for it?"
Natsu thought over Zeref and Wendy, or more specially the promise his brother had made him regarding their little sister. He did have a reason, one that fully justified his actions in his mind.
But even though he thought she might understand his reasoning if he told her, he kept his mouth shut, figuring that it wasn't the right time to speak of his siblings when she'd just lost her own.
When it became clear that she'd get no response, the blonde licked her lips as she sniffled, uncomfortably shifting her weight on her feet while her arms wrapped around her middle, "If…if you were going to leave me on my own like that…why did you ask me to be your friend on my first day here?"
Natsu thought back to that moment, his skin tingling with phantom traces of pain in the areas where her volleyball had struck his body. He wasn't quite sure how to put his reasoning for approaching her into words. Yes, part of him had pitied her for being on her own, and another part had felt immediately attracted her to at first glance, because she was irrefutably beautiful and exactly his type, even though he'd never known he had a type until he caught sight of her. But there was so much more to it than just pity and physical attraction, something about her unexplainably beckoning him closer and keeping her on his mind.
Their meeting in the rain that night had to have been fate. There was just no other explanation for it.
Lucy grew impatient at his silence, jumping to conclusions on her own, "It was because you pitied me, right? For being alone?" Her lips pressed into a grim line, all traces of tears and weakness gone from her eyes as she firmly connected her gaze with his, "You can just leave, Natsu."
His brows furrowed at the sudden presence of spite in her voice, "What?"
"I think you made it very clear," she turned her back on him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she muttered over her shoulder, "We're not friends, so don't feel like you have to come see me ever again."
She slipped back into the funeral home without another word, leaving the salmon haired boy alone on the front steps, his hands clenched into fists as he thought over what could've been, but would now never be.
Mest exited the interrogation room just as Lahar let out a heavy, somewhat annoyed sounding sigh, his focus on the cuffed raven haired boy still sitting at the metal table on the other side of the glass window before him, "What did he say?"
The junior detective ruffled through the large stack of papers in his hands, "There seems to have been some violence. The deceased-"
"I heard he was mentally troubled," Lahar cut his subordinate off. "He tried to kill himself a few times back in Crocus, too, it seems. Any CCTV footage?"
Mest shook his head, "There weren't any cameras on the roof."
"He fell on his own, right?"
"According to their testimonies, yes."
Lahar let out another heavy sigh, "Then let those other four kids go."
Mest quirked a brow in shock, haughtily questioning, "Already? But we've only just finished interviewing them. And we haven't even talked to the Heartfilia girl yet."
"I received a call from the school. Their state inspection is coming up, so they asked us not to make a big fuss out of it." The senior detective stood as he gathered his papers from his table, "And if we wrap this up quickly and quietly, it'll be better for their futures."
"But…sir-"
"Don't you agree?" Lahar cut off his protests, obviously trying to get him to just keep quiet and follow through.
Mest caught on to his reasoning, the fact that the Fullbuster boy would be the only one to remain detained giving him everything he needed to figure out what had conspired between his boss and the parents of the other four students, "This is because of Macbeth's father, isn't it?"
Lahar's silent stare was enough of an answer, not a single word slipping from his superior's lips as he finished gathering his things and exited the room.
Mest tsked to himself as he watched four cars pull away from the station's parking lot, four of the students he'd interviewed leaving completely free of blame with their respective guardians. After meeting their caretakers, he wasn't surprised with how the children acted, each of them more self-conceited and impassive than the last. None of them had earned even a single word of scolding from their guardians, the parents instead turning their heated words on the junior detective and threatening to place the blame on him if their grades dropped, which, judging from the few minutes he'd spent alone with each of the students, didn't have far left to fall.
As they'd exited the station, the kids were all chattering about their plans for the night and where they were going to hang out, none of them expressing any concern over the life that was lost in their presence. He hadn't heard any of them say even a single word about the Heartfilia boy, and they seemed completely unaffected by the idea that they might've been instigators of the sorrow and pain that pushed him towards taking his own life.
He disregarded all thoughts of the case as he tucked a cigarette between his lips, knowing that with his junior position, there was nothing he could do to convince his superiors otherwise. If Lahar had dismissed it and let the kids free, then everything was already settled, and the only matter left to deal with was the raven haired boy still sitting in his lonesome cell in the corner of the station.
"Hey!"
Mest spun around at the sudden call, his brows quirking as a rather angry-looking trio approached him with a pink haired boy at the lead. He looked them over, his cigarette still between his lips as he questioned, "Who the hell are you?"
"Where's Gray?" The salmon haired boy pointed a finger in the direction the four cars had driven in, "Why'd you let them go when my friend's still in there?"
"And who are you to get involved?"
The bespectacled red head stepped forward, punching his friend in the arm as he pronounced, "He's Natsu Dragneel!"
Mest quirked a brow at the familiar name, "Natsu Dragneel?"
"The one and only little brother of Zeref Dragneel, our state's governor," the red head finished filling in, his expression proud.
Mest sighed deep in his throat, wise enough to know that pissing off the governor's little brother wasn't a good decision since he wanted to climb the ranks, "So what? Why are you here?"
The salmon haired boy clenched his jaw, "Why aren't you letting Gray go?"
"We still have to investigate him further."
"What?" the last member of the trio finally spoke, the tan boy's brows pinched together, "Why?"
"He was charged with assault. He won't be released until a settlement is reached, understand?" Mest looked between the three, continuing on with his sentiment when no protest was made, "Now, stay out of my sight. If you want your friend back, don't distract me with your useless pestering anymore."
Loke's brows furrowed as the detective disappeared inside the station, "What did he mean 'assault?' Gray didn't do anything wrong."
Natsu's fists were clenched at his sides, his thought filled with murderous intent towards Macbeth and his friends as he fumed, "Those bastards think they can play victim."
The breeze cooled Lucy's tears against her skin as she stood near the edge of the drop-off, the hem of her black dress ruffling against her thighs.
The apostles from Zentopia had appeared at the cemetery with their van to take her and her parents home after Sting had been buried, and the blonde girl had shot out of the sliding door and into the woods on the border of their home's property as soon as the van had pulled to a stop. She'd paid no mind to Ultear's cries of her name, desperately needing to be alone, unable to bear the sight of her parents sobbing any longer.
And she didn't want to step foot in the room she'd shared with her twin, the room that would now belong to her and her alone. His empty bed and belongings were still in there, and even though she'd hardly stopped crying since his body had disappeared over the edge, she knew the sight of his things would somehow draw more tears from her already dry, red, and swollen eyes.
The blonde sniffled to herself, swallowing in a futile attempt to ease the tightness of her throat before she looked heavenwards and quietly choked out, "Sting…I'm sorry. I should have protected you better."
She didn't remember much of how she'd arrived at her current destination, her body taking complete control of her existence in her desperate escape from her family. All she could recall was stumbling to stop upon rounding a bend and seeing the forest floor disappear in a dangerous thirty-foot plunge before her, a crazy idea appearing in her head at the sight of the cliff, one that she didn't bother to stop from manifesting itself in her body.
She subconsciously wondered if this is what Sting had felt like as he stood on the edge of the roof, scarily aware that hitting ground would hurt like hell and most likely bring death, but at the same time yearning for the fall, craving to finally feel weightless and free of all the burdens that threatened to crush her beneath their weight.
Lucy took a small step closer to the edge, a dull pain shooting through her bare feet as they settled on top of a loose rock. She'd lost her heels sometime during her run into the forest, but she was too numb to care, her feet already dirtied with the soil of the mountain path.
"Sting…the truth is…"
The dirt crunched beneath her feet as she took another step forward.
"It was really hard to be with you…"
Another step.
"That's why…"
Her foot scuffed against the ground once more, her voice growing more choked as her tears grew heavier in flow, "That why I sometimes…"
She squeezed her eyes shut and took the last step forward, her foot hitting air instead of rock, "Sometimes…I wished…"
Her breath was stolen from her lungs as her wrist was grasped from behind, her eyes widening as she was spun around and pulled into a firm chest, her blood freezing in her veins when her eyes clashed with a pair of malicious, red orbs.
Zancrow feigned concern as he held her against his chest, "Lucy…you should be more careful."
Her breaths quickened as he pulled her closer, their noses only a few inches apart. His hand came to rest on her cheek, his eyes following his thumb as it stroked across her skin, "How could you think of ending it all so soon? Your flower hasn't even bloomed to its full beauty yet."
Lucy whimpered as he tightened his grasp on her wrist, his grip bruising as he dragged her back to her mountainside home, all thoughts of death chased from the blonde's mind as a new form of fear took over.
Natsu swallowed heavily as he glanced between the two empty desks on either side of him, his thoughts focused on their usual occupants. The seats had been empty for two days now, and things didn't feel right without Gray and Lucy at his sides. The blonde had only been attending their school for a little over a week, but he'd quickly grown accustomed to her presence, a smug grin spreading across his lips every time he glanced her way. And the absence of his raven haired best friend's snoring during their teacher's lectures was something he'd never thought he'd miss, but he found himself unable to focus on Gildarts when the sound that had been so constant was suddenly replaced with silence.
As he glanced at his rival's desk, his gaze was drawn out the window on the other side of the seat as he saw movement, his throat tightening as he caught a glimpse of a gardener setting to work at the flowerbeds on the other side of the courtyard. The old man kneeled over a chalked outline of a body, his gloves quickly dirtying with soil as he replaced the smashed and bloodied white flowers in the garden.
"Hey! Did you hear? Gray got out this morning."
The salmon haired boy had unintentionally eavesdropped on the conversation of the two girls seated in the desks in front of his, but at the mention of his rival, he found himself unable to tear his attention away. His gaze dropped from the gardener to his desk as he continued to listen to their voices, his hands clenching into fists in his lap.
"Really?" the other girl sounded a bit disappointed, as if she'd been hoping for something more interesting to happen, "It's only been two days."
"I guess his charge of assault was withdrawn. I heard he has to write a reflection paper about what happened on the roof and turn it in to the principal. He's been suspended until his paper's approved."
Whispers of the raven haired boy began to spread through the room, and Natsu could barely take it. His classmates had no right to talk about what they thought Gray deserved when none of them had been present during the fight. He hadn't been there either, but he knew without a doubt his best friend wasn't in the wrong. Yeah, he might've roughed Macbeth and his friends up a bit, but they deserved all of the bruises the raven haired boy had given them and then some.
Natsu shot from his desk and started towards the door before the anger that had been constantly building inside of him since Gray had been arrested could finally break free of his grasp, planning on venting out a bit of his anger on the stalls of the boys' bathroom before their rest period was over.
His body went rigid when the classroom door was pushed open before he could get to it, his eyes widening when Gray slipped in from the hallway, his backpack slung over his shoulder and his hands tucked into his pockets like they always were. His school uniform was rumpled and sloppily put together, and Natsu had a feeling that with no other clothes to change into, his rival had been stuck in his uniform since his arrest.
The room went silent as the rest of the students took notice of his entrance, all eyes on Gray as he silently strode towards his desk.
Natsu was still frozen in place, a heavy weight settling in his stomach when his best friend didn't even cast him a glance, their shoulders lightly brushing in passing.
The raven haired boy didn't say a word as he settling heavily into his seat, dumping his backpack onto his desk with his head hung, completely ignoring the stares in his direction.
Something was seriously bothering him, Natsu could already tell, something more than just what had happened on the rooftop.
He'd expected Gray to be upset with him, and maybe they'd even duke it out a bit to ease their frustrations. But he hadn't anticipated that his rival would look so lifeless, so distanced from the world around him that he seemed completely oblivious to everything but his own thoughts.
The chatter in the classroom picked up again all at once, and at the sudden noise, the salmon haired boy snapped out of his paralysis and rushed back to his desk. His chair nearly tipped over as he hurriedly slid into it, but his expression didn't even flinch as he almost toppled over, his feet planting firmly on the ground and one hand anxiously gripping the top of his seatback as he twisted towards his rival. His tentative tone contrasted heavily with his tense posture as he lightly, hesitantly huffed out, "Gray…"
The raven haired boy didn't give any sign that he'd heard him, not even a slight flinch as he kept his gaze dutifully cast towards the floor, his head turned slightly to the left now that Natsu had taken his seat on his right.
Natsu sucked in a breath, ready to spew out all of his apologies and insults at once, saying anything and everything to get his best friend to just do something as simple as look at him. He hated the silent treatment, and he'd decided that Gray was the worst person possible to be receiving it from. He was used to bickering and taunting, not silence and brooding.
But just as the salmon haired boy's lips parted, the door at the front of the room slid open.
Gildarts walked in, his lips pressed into a grim line as he set his stack of teaching materials on his podium, his eyes focused on the raven haired boy in the back corner, "Gray…what are you doing here?"
Everyone's focuses slid to him once more, but he made no form of acknowledgement, his gaze firmly fixed on whatever lay outside the window to his left.
Natsu's hands clenched into fists on top of his desk, his knee nervously bouncing as he mentally urged his best friend to do something other than just sit there. This wasn't the Gray he knew. His rival always fought back against injustice, and seeing him just sit there and refuse to acknowledge anything was internally killing the salmon haired boy.
"If you heard the principal earlier, you should be reflecting at home. You've been suspended." Silence was Gildarts' only answer. Despite his conflicting feelings about the boy's suspension, he was growing impatient over being so openly ignored, "Can't you hear me?"
Natsu suddenly stood, impulsively deciding to take matters into his hands since his best friend didn't seem to want to do much of anything other than shut out the world, "Gildarts, isn't this too much? What did Gray do wrong? Those other jerks should get suspended, not him!"
The teacher sighed deep in his throat, "Natsu, I should send you to the office for disrupting class, but I'm holding back because of your brother-"
Gray's chair screeched against the tile floor as he shot to his feet, roughly slinging his backpack over his shoulder before silently charging out of the room, the door slamming shut in his wake.
The salmon haired boy stared after him in stunned silence for a moment, taken aback by his best friend's sudden shift in behavior. Gray had seemed almost livid as he left the room, his hands clenched into fists and his strides purposeful and tenacious. Natsu hadn't been able to get a look at his rival's face, but he sure his expression would match the atmosphere of the rest of his body, his jaw clenched and his dark irises alight with fury.
He had no idea as to what had brought about the sudden change, but he'd be damned if he didn't find out.
He charged out of the room after his friend, purposefully ignoring Gildarts' voice calling after him. He'd get out of whatever punishment the teacher saw fit to place on him later. He always did because people were afraid of his last name, and this time would be no different, he was sure.
The raven haired boy had continued on with his hurried and tenacious pace, Natsu barely catching a glimpse of his back as he disappeared around a corner at the end of the hallway. He did have some smidgeon of respect for the other classes in session as he jogged to catch up, not shouting after his rival until they'd exited the building.
Gray was already halfway down the path to the front gate of the school when Natsu first called after him, the salmon haired boy quickening his pace now that they were outside and clear of any onlookers.
"Hey! Are you really gonna leave just like that?" Natsu had finally had enough of being ignored, sprinting the rest of the distance between them and grasping onto Gray's shoulder, yanking him around, forcing the boy to face him. His fingers dug into Gray's flesh in his anger, his heated voice still a shout as if his friend wasn't right next to him, "You should do something instead of just taking it! Protest against them! Force them to realize that you did nothing wrong!"
Silence filled the air between them for a moment, and when Gray finally spoke, the salmon haired boy didn't feel relief like he thought he would.
"Natsu..."
His rival's voice was broken and smaller than he'd ever heard it, and when Gray finally lifted his gaze and looked him in the eyes, giving the salmon haired boy his first good look at his friend's face, the fire in Natsu's blood turned to ice. The pain and weakness in Gray's dark blue irises was unparalleled by anything he'd seen in them before. The bags under his eyes were heavy with his obvious lack of sleep, further discoloring his face, right alongside the bruises that still lingered from the fight two days ago. Blood still stained his skin in nasty splotches too, both in the form hardened scabs over scratches and in splatters where it had yet to be cleaned.
He'd never seen his rival look so dead.
"My father…he's nothing more than an abusive alcoholic."
The salmon haired boy's brows furrowed, the remark catching him off guard, "So what? What are you getting at? You told me that your father hasn't touched you in years." His voice grew more heated as his mind wandered off on its own dangerous path, "Did he come after you? I swear to God, if he hurt you again, I'll-"
Gray clenched his jaw as he cut him off, quietly continuing, "My father…isn't a capable man like your brother. They're both our only full-blood relatives left in this world, and they don't even compare. That's what I'm getting at."
Natsu was silent. For years, he'd had a hunch that Gray didn't like his brother much, at least not as much as the raven haired boy liked Wendy. But he'd had no idea that Gray felt like this; had never heard jealousy in his rival's voice as he spoke of Zeref.
"Do you know what people think when they look at you? They think of your great brother and all he's done for the people…And do you know what they think when they look at me?" The raven haired boy let out a bitter chuckle, his eyes involuntarily swimming with angry tears of indignation, "They think of my drunkard, abusive father that pollutes the street with his presence."
Natsu swallowed heavily, his gaze dropping to the ground to avoid having to look into his friend's eyes as they grew misty, "Gray, I-"
"I'm not blaming you for something you can't control. You didn't choose to be Zeref's younger brother, so I can't hate you for that. But you need to understand that not everyone is as privileged as you, and we can't escape blame as easily as you. Especially someone like me." A weighty breath slipped through Gray's lips, his voice thick with emotion, "Even you know that there's no use in protesting against the adults, whether they're a principal, teacher, or police officer. So…" he raised his shoulder, the one that Natsu still had in a death grip, "…just let me go."
The salmon haired boy's hands were lightly trembling as he numbly followed through with his best friend's wishes, his hand absently falling back to his side as Gray turned to walk away, slipping from his grasp.
Had he paid more attention to Gray's feelings, then maybe he wouldn't have bragged about his brother's successes as much, and maybe he'd have spoken less of his family all together. He hadn't thought Gray to be the type of person who would be jealous over the things he didn't have, but now he knew that it was foolish of him to assume that Gray didn't care. Because even if they didn't show it, everyone, no matter how strong and happy they appeared to be, got jealous sometimes.
And maybe if he'd been more considerate, he would have followed Gray up those stairs as the raven haired boy had chased after Lucy, knowing that it must've killed his rival to have felt like his best friend chose Zeref, someone he loathed, over him.
Part of the salmon haired boy wanted to better explain his reasoning, that he'd refused Lucy's pleads for Wendy's sake, so that Zeref could win without any trouble and she might be healed. But he knew that what his rival needed at the moment was consolation, not an explanation.
"Gray!"
The boy slowed to a halt, but didn't turn to face him.
Natsu felt himself get choked up without really knowing why, the prospect of his rival's words to 'just let him go' sending a streak of fear through him and giving him the idea that he was losing his best friend. No matter how unfounded the fear was, it still terrified the shit out of him, so he desperately cried after Gray, tears stinging the back of his eyes, "No one else can define who you are! I've never thought of your father when I looked at you, you bastard! You're my friend and that's all that ever mattered to me!" He thought over how Gray had comforted him on Wendy's birthday a week ago, the words his rival had used resurfacing, "So stand tall!"
Gray slowly turned around, still lacking his characteristic smirk, but at the very least, his face was less pained and sorrowful, not an ounce of loathing or spite in his voice as he yelled back, "Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?! You stand tall!"
The salmon haired boy sniffled, swallowing heavily as his tears turned into tears of relief. With his mind too fuzzy to think of a better come back, he childishly stomped his foot and shouted, "Shut up!" His voice was still slightly choked and laced with remaining bits of anger as he called after his rival for the last time, already thinking over ways he could get revenge on his friend for making him worry so much, "I'll see you later, you bastard!"
Gray's lips quirked as a small chuckle slipped through his lips, lifting a single hand in a wave as he turned his back on his rival, his heart a lot lighter than it had been before as he meandered toward the gate.
Loke irritably huffed out a breath, plucking a peanut from the platter at the center of their usual table only to chuck it back in a moment later, "Why isn't Natsu here yet? Should I call him?"
Elfman chugged the rest of his cola, slamming the glass back on the table when it had been emptied, "Forget it. You know he's busy because of the election."
The bench across from them creaked as Gray arduously pushed himself to his feet, obviously a little bit tipsy as he swayed, having to grip onto the edges of their table to stay upright.
"Where do you think you're going?" the orange haired playboy quirked a brow.
Gray leaned further over the table, his words slurring together as he mocked, "So sorry, mom. May I go to the bathroom?"
Loke's lips twisted in disgust at the term, waving the raven haired boy away in annoyance, "Sure, go ahead."
The drunk boy bowed in mock gratitude, "Thank you, mom."
The two boys still seated at the table stared after him a bit nervously as he stumbled away, catching himself on pillars and walls as he staggered towards the restroom.
Loke looked back to Elfman once the boy was out of hearing range, his brows furrowed in concern, "You think he's gonna be okay? He just got expelled and he's smiling like he's lost it. It's freaking me out."
The tan boy shrugged his shoulder as he grabbed a handful of peanuts, "Just give him some time. Gray's a man. He'll get through it."
Loke rolled his eyes in annoyance, pursing his lips, "Of course that's your response."
Gray let out a weighty sigh as he slumped onto the curb in front of the bar, his elbows coming to rest on his knees and his head falling forward into his hands.
He felt like shit. Drinking was supposed to make feel better. It was supposed to make him forget how hauntingly similar Lucy's brother's body looked to his mother's as they laid dead, blood splattering outwards from their broken forms as they cracked against the ground, having taken the leap that ended their life. He didn't even know the blond boy's name, and yet his face wouldn't leave his head, both during his waking hours and his nightmares.
Drinking had only made him feel worse. As the alcohol slowly ebbed away at his control, he found himself spiraling ever deeper into his misery, the tears closer to falling than they ever had been before.
Seeing his own face in the bathroom mirror, still littered by scrapes and bruises, had nearly sent him over the edge. Reminders of what had happened were everywhere and in everything he looked at, and not even alcohol could wash the horrifying memories away.
He sniffled as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to wipe away the tears that threatened to fall and just wanting the world to stop for a second so he could get a hold of himself and get back up on his feet.
Natsu had been right during their borderline fight in front of the school a few days ago, the salmon haired boy calling him out on his strange behavior. Not even Gray could recognize himself in the scrambled mess he'd become in the matter of only a few days.
The raven haired boy reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and his father's old lighter, once again thinking over the irony of how one of his greatest escapes from the world had once belonged to the man who had made his life hell for years.
He tucked the cigarette between his lips, pausing just as he was about to light it, his focus drawn upwards when a rowdy group of teens exited the bar across the way. They were grinning and laughing without a care, and anger bubbled through his veins just as he recognized them through the haze of the alcohol he'd consumed.
It was them.
The doors of the Fairy Tail bar slammed open as Elfman charged through them, his steps hurried as he returned to his friends' usual table from where he'd gone to look for Gray. The raven haired boy had been away for far too long, and when Elfman had found the bathroom void of his presence, he'd gone to the curb behind the bar where Gray usually went to smoke when things became too much to handle. When Elfman arrived at the curb, all he found an unlit cigarette, broken in half and thrown near the rain gutter.
Elfman had looked up just in time to see Macbeth and his friends turning a distant street corner, Gray silently stalking behind them.
He shot through the bar until he saw a familiar tuft of orange hair sticking up over the back of the bench, uncaring of the bar's other patrons as he called, "Loke, come outside, now!"
The playboy lifted a brow, turning to look at him over the high, wooden seatback, "What is it?"
"Just come! I'll explain on the way."
Loke let out a heavy sigh as he pushed himself up, wishing that for just once in his life, his friends would let him drink in peace.
He begrudgingly trudged after Elfman, nearly making it to the door before someone caught the back of his collar from behind.
Cana tightened her grip on his shirt as she haughtily grumbled, "You're not planning on leaving without paying again, are you?"
"Come on, Cana," Elfman nagged. "It's urgent!"
The brunette lifted a brow, speaking through clenched teeth, "Then should I urgently call your parents? You all always act like children, but I never thought I'd have to go this far."
The sound of the bar's doors swinging open filled the space before anyone could respond, Natsu striding through them and slowing to a halt as he caught sight of the situation just inside. His brows furrowed as he picked on the tense atmosphere, his eyes scanning over his friends, "What's going on? Where's Gray?"
A grunt was forced from Macbeth's lungs as Gray pressed a foot to his chest, shoving him backwards into the shadow of the bridge that ran over them.
It had been easy for the raven haired boy to single out Macbeth and drag him to a place void of any spectators, the black haired boy's friends saying their goodbyes as soon as they'd reached a particular street corner where they all parted ways. Gray had followed after Macbeth for a short time before attacking from behind, pressing a hand tightly over the boy's mouth to muffle his cries for aid as he towed him away from the busy streets.
The raven haired boy buried his fist in Macbeth's jaw as soon the boy managed to stumble back to his feet, his ever-growing anger and drunkenness fueling his violent actions.
Gray sneered at the black lipstick mark on his palm from when he'd pressed it against Macbeth's mouth earlier, his sharp glare snapping to the black haired boy as he shakily pushed himself to his feet yet again. He slowly started closing the distance between them, Macbeth stumbling three steps back for every stride Gray took forward. The raven haired boy's hands were clenched into fists, his bangs partially shading his fierce dark irises as he glowered, "How are you able to smile and laugh when someone died because of you?"
Macbeth swiped the back of his hand against the new cut on his cheek, his lips twitching into a sneer at the blood on his skin. Anger hardened his features, too, but his voice still had an edge of panic to it as he hurriedly hissed, "His death had nothing to do with me. He was insane, and that's all there was to it!" He darted forward with an angry shout, his fist poised to punch.
His lack of covertness made it easy for Gray to dodge his attack, ducking under Macbeth's arm as it swung out in an arc towards him. The raven haired boy plunged his fist upwards as he straightened himself out, following his uppercut with a kick to the chest, shoving him backwards with all the force he could muster.
Dirt flew through the air as Macbeth slammed onto his back.
Gray's lips pulled back in a growl, his features set in a livid scowl as he slowly approached the down boy.
Macbeth scurried backwards, his feet kicking uselessly in the loose dirt as he threatened in a panic, "Don't you know who my father is?!"
The raven haired boy completely disregarded his attempt at intimidation, his eyes still dangerously cold as he lowly spoke through clenched teeth, "I have no interest in your great father."
Black painted lips twisted in a snarl as he chucked a handful of dry dirt at the other boy's face, Gray's hands instinctively flying to his stinging eyes in an attempt to ease the discomfort.
The black haired boy took of advantage of his momentarily blindness and lunged toward him, wrapping his arms around the other boy's middle and tackling him to the ground.
Macbeth straddled his hips and blindly beat at Gray's arms as they came up to shield his head, heatedly lashing out without thinking about hitting his critical points. His punches were hurried and panicked, lacking the power and direction to actually do the raven haired boy much harm.
Dirt was tossed into the air as Gray's hands shot towards the boy's shoulders, using his grip to flip them over and knock the black haired boy's head into the ground painfully. Macbeth wasn't quick enough to block his face, Gray's fist landing on his jaw thrice, each strike growing stronger than the last as he started to lose control of himself, his anger gnawing away at his restraint.
As Gray's arm pulled back for another punch, Macbeth's hands flew up in surrender, his voice fearful and panicked as he desperately pledged, "I'll tell them! I tell them! I'll tell them he died because of me!"
The raven haired boy sneered at the coward he had pinned beneath him, believing that the boy was just trying to stop the beating, pulling his fist back once more.
As soon as his arm was poised to punch again, Macbeth hurried to save his face, "Really! I swear I will!" His voice faded out a fraction, growing more pitiful as he quickly blubbered, "I'm telling the truth. To be honest, after he died, I felt really miserable."
His voice was slightly choked, but Gray knew it wasn't in sorrow for Lucy's brother. It was in cowering fear for his own life.
"I'm really sorry…you got suspended because of me…he died because of me…I'm sorry for everything."
The black haired boy flinched as Gray's fist slammed into the ground right beside his head, the raven haired boy furiously wanting to keep beating him until he was senseless, but knowing what was best, even in his drunken state.
Gray's jaw was clenched, fighting to restrain himself as he ground out, "Go to the police station and tell them right now. Got it?"
"Y-yes," Macbeth pathetically whined, his head desperately nodding in understanding. "I…I've got it."
Gray roughly shoved himself off of the other boy, breathing heavily as he glared down at him for a moment before starting back up the hill towards the road that ran over the bridge above them. His body was exhausted from the skirmish despite its short duration, his lack of proper sleep and the alcohol he'd consumed draining his muscles of their usual power and endurance.
He was briefly aware of Macbeth stumbling to his feet and limping up the hill behind him, his footfalls uneven as they scuffed in the dirt.
"Gray!"
The raven haired boy's brows furrowed at the familiar call of his name, the bushes behind him rustling in the breeze and muffling the sound too much for him to identify the voice.
"Gray!"
That time, he heard the call loud and clear, his brows furrowing as he wondered how the hell Natsu knew where he was. He turned over his shoulder towards where the cry had issued from, his eyes scanning the road that ran parallel to the path he was treading, though he couldn't quite see it yet due to the difference in elevation.
The footsteps that'd been slow and uneven behind him suddenly gained speed, Macbeth's feet pounding against the dirt with renewed vigor.
Gray's gaze lowered just in time to see the black haired boy charging the short distance between them, an old umbrella that the raven haired boy had seen abandoned in the nearby bushes clutched tightly in his grasp. The thought that maybe it hadn't been the wind rustling the bushes earlier momentarily crossed his mind, but soon, all he could process was blinding white pain.
The three-inch, metal tip of the closed umbrella was shoved into his shoulder before he could do anything to stop it, Macbeth following through with the force of his stab and landing on top of Gray as he fell backwards.
The raven haired boy shrieked in agony as the tip was shoved further into his flesh when Macbeth shifted all of his body weight on top of it, his hands splattering with blood as he desperately clutched above where the umbrella disappeared into his flesh in a fruitless attempt to pull it out against Macbeth's weight, dizzying pain shooting through the arm of his injured shoulder as soon as his muscles tensed to fulfill the action.
Painted black lips pulled in a sneer, the umbrella twisting and puncturing even further, "That's right! Scream, you son of a bitch!"
Gray's voice cracked as he screamed again, gasping for air between his howls, winces lacing his heavy breaths.
Macbeth's crimson irises were swimming with delight, his morbid sneer still distorting his features, "I thought you would've learn by now not to stir up any shit since you don't have parents. But I guess you truly are nothing more than a simpleminded peasant. The lowest of them all."
Glass and blood suddenly rained down on Gray from above as a bottle shattered against Macbeth's head. The black haired boy crumpled to the side in pain, his weight slowly sliding from Gray's hips and his face disappearing from the raven haired boy's sight. Instead, Natsu's face now filled the space above him, his hands immediately ridding Gray's body of the foreign object still protruding from his shoulder.
The salmon haired boy worriedly tried to pull him from the ground, his eyes wide and full of panic, "Gray! You okay?!"
The other boy couldn't bring himself to offer any words of reassurance, gasps of pain tumbling from his mouth instead every time he parted his lips.
Natsu slid his arms underneath his rival's armpits to pull him to his feet, the raven haired boy unable to do much to help, his body jerking forward in pain whenever Natsu's hand slipped too close to his wound. The salmon haired boy wrapped his friend's arm over his shoulder once he was somewhat on his feet, choosing to abandon the fight for the sake of getting the other boy medical help. He could deal with Macbeth later, when he didn't have to worry about his friend's injury. Gray unintentionally fought against his tugs, his body involuntarily hunching over in pain as he blindly stumbled through his hazy thoughts.
A battle cry ripped through the air behind them, and despite his pain, Gray reacted before Natsu could, shoving the salmon haired boy aside before ducking to wrap his arms around Macbeth's waist to stop the boy's charge, a large, heavy rock in the black haired boy's grasp. Their balance fell victim to their colliding forces and weakened bodies, their feet slipping in the loose dirt beneath them as they crumpled sideways.
Natsu scrambled to catch himself, his arms shooting from where they had been entangled around Gray to hurriedly cushion his forced tumble and keep his face from smacking against the ground. His hands stung with the impact, but he paid them no mind, scurrying on his hands and knees to see what had become his friend. His gaze traveled upward just in time to see Gray's and Macbeth's bodies disappear over the ledge of the path, dust flying up in their wake.
He scrambled to his feet when he heard two large thuds at the bottom of the hill, desperately crying out, "Gray!"
A relieved breath slipped from his lips when he immediately caught sight of his friend, the raven haired boy groaning in pain, but at least void of any broken bones or other visible injuries other than scratches and bruises. Of course the wound on his shoulder was still bleeding profusely, but the salmon haired boy was relieved that he hadn't received any more, possibly even worse injuries.
Gray grunted as he tried to push himself up, his head lifting towards where he thought Macbeth had fallen to after they'd broken apart during their tumble. His dark blue eyes widened and his breaths slowed to a near halt when he caught sight of the black haired boy.
Natsu's focus followed his friend's horrified gaze, a heavy weight plunging in his stomach at the sight.
Macbeth's body was bent over a pointed rock, his pelvis unnaturally arched higher than the rest of his splayed out, bloodied body. One of his hands was fidgeting in the dirt, choking sounds accompanying the blood that slipped from his mouth to poor down his cheeks and neck, staining his clothes and the dirt beneath him a terrifying red.
AN
Our first cliffy~ I'm trying not to have too many of those since there's a week between updates and I don't want to torture you all too much.
Ah, the bromance. It'll only get better from here on out
And have no fear, Lucy's feelings to Natsu will change as the story progresses. Like I've said before, Nalu is endgame.
I'd also like to address something mentioned in a PM I received after the last chapter just to clear up some confusion: The scenes with Sting and Macbeth and his friends weren't meant as implied rape. I was kind of vague with them simply for the sake of keeping things T, but now I see that that decision kind of backfired and there were a few people who misinterpreted my ambiguity. So just to clear things up, Sting was not raped, but he was forcefully striped.
The next chapter is kind of the final chapter before the real story begins and the cult becomes more important to the plot. The upcoming events will set up the rest of the story, and from that point on, our characters will start to develop more and things will get really complicated.
As always, I hope to hear your thoughts and thanks for reading!