I received a very important question as a review after last chapter: Is this story LoLu? It certainly is! I needed Gray to bring Lucy to Fairy Tail and to make her realize that she wanted her other half, not a random guy. This is actually the chapter where things start shifting a bit, and I hope you all enjoy :)
Warning: Since it's been a long time (February) that I updated this story, I finished this chapter before I wanted it to end and I didn't edit it very well. I really just wanted to get this out for you guys.
It had been a week since the night Lucy ran out of Gray's apartment, and she hasn't left her own since. If she went to Fairy Tail, she would see him. If she left her apartment, she could run into him in the lobby. The risk was just too great. He may have deserved an explanation, but she wasn't sure if she had one to give.
In her twenty-two years of life, she had not once met someone else with her tattoo.
In her twenty-two years, not once had she had any friends.
In her twenty-two years, not once did she have a boyfriend.
Why was she continuing that streak? She had friends now. She had a boyfriend. Yet, there was a part of her that felt as if she would find her other half. She had gotten an apartment and decided to settle down because she felt something good about Magnolia. At first she had thought that it was Fairy Tail and Gray, but, since the tattoo was stopping her from being with Gray, was her other half in Magnolia? Was her mind trying to tell her that by letting her tattoo bother her?
There was a knock on the door. No one had tried to visit her in a few days; they all stopped after the second day of shutting herself in. So who is at the door? Lucy wondered.
She decided to answer it, so she pulled her blanket tighter around herself and went to the door. She was surprised to find Loke standing there.
"God, Lucy," he sighed, pushing his way into her apartment. "Look at this place. Look at you!"
Her apartment was a mess. Her kitchen was cluttered with dishes, food, and garbage. In her living room, the floors were cluttered. Most of her books were off their shelves and thrown somewhere else. Her bedroom and bathroom had clothes everywhere, as well as the hallway. She was in even worse state. Her hair was matted together and it was obvious that she hadn't showered in a while.
"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked timidly. He was the last person she expected to come to her aid. "You hate me."
"Exactly," Loke agreed. "That's why I came over. If anyone else let Gray in you would never forgive them It's not much of a loss for me."
Her eyes flew to the door. Gray was standing there, worry etched into his face. "I'm a little hurt that you'd open the door for him and not me, Luce," he said in a joking tone. He took the blanket off her shoulders. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Gray led Lucy back to the bathroom while Loke started cleaning up the kitchen. Gray's apartment had two bedrooms, which took away space from other rooms, but Lucy didn't have that problem because she had only had one bedroom. Lucy's bathroom was a lot bigger than his, having a bigger tub, two sinks, and enough floor space for Lucy to put a screen in front of the tub.
"I'll stay behind the screen," Gray told her. There was a small stool resting in the one corner, so he pulled it over so he could sit down. "If you don't actually bathe, though, I'll have to help you."
Lucy normally would have assumed he meant something perverted, but it was clear to both of them that it was not the time nor place to joke like that. She simply nodded before going to her side of the screen and undressing.
"I'm really sorry, Lucy," Gray said. "I didn't mean to upset you the other day. I wasn't even thinking that things were going too far. I should have asked you-"
"Gray." The word was barely above a whisper. "I don't think I can do this anymore."
Gray wished he could say that he was surprised, but he had already considered the possibility of Lucy breaking up with him. He had already had time to think about it, so he was already past being upset.
"If that's what you want, fine," Gray said. He stood up and put the chair back in the corner. "I could tell you weren't really into this anyway. Just know that I'm still going to be here for you and I hope we can still be friends."
Lucy smiled. "I'd like that very much." It was the last thing Gray heard before he left the room.
Loke also wasn't surprised to hear the news. He promised Gray that he would finish cleaning up and make sure Lucy ate something. Gray was grateful for Loke's help, knowing that he could count on his best friend.
Loke didn't bother Lucy while she took a bath, since he knew she wouldn't be happy if he barged into the room. He waited until she had bathed, changed, and decided for herself to come talk to him. She had come into the living room nearly an hour after Gray had left, her hair brushed and wearing a clean set of clothing.
Loke was sitting on the couch, looking at one of the books Lucy had on her bookshelf. "So you're a writer?" He had asked the question so casually that Lucy taken aback. He noticed this and added, "I was here the other day when you were writing. Levy was reading your story, remember?"
Lucy did remember, but she certainly didn't remember giving him permission to read her story! "Why did you even read it? You hate me," she said .
Now it was Loke's turn to be taken aback. "I don't hate you, Lucy. We just got off on the wrong foot," he explained.
Lucy crossed her arms. "The 'wrong foot' being when you hit on me multiple times and now won't leave me alone?" she asked.
Loke set the book he was looking at back on the bookshelf. "I hope you know that I'm a pretty decent guy," he said. "I'm not always a total flirt."
Lucy rolled her eyes, not believing what he said. Loke noticed this. "Don't you believe me?" he asked. "How about you try guessing what my job is."
"Do you even have a job?" Lucy asked. Loke gave her a pointed look. "Okay, okay, fine. Um...you're probably a male stripped. And I'm not joking! That's my guess."
This time, Loke rolled his eyes. "Close, but no. I work at Celestial High School," he said.
Lucy's eyes widened. She took a second to think about all the words that described Loke: cocky, flirty, annoying, overbearing, and very rarely loyal. "So...you're a teacher?" she said slowly, as if talking to someone who didn't understand the language well.
Loke smiled. He was enjoying watching Lucy squirm, and he didn't' bother hiding the look on his face to prove that fact. "Yes, I am a teacher." A wide grin broke out across his face, clearly ready to fully enjoy the next thing he said. "I'm also the principal there."
Lucy nearly fainted at the news. There was no way that the Loke she knew could be a teacher and a principal.
Please leave a review! I'm kind of in a rut with this story and it might help if I see some support for it!