Lessons in Love » NaLu A.U.

chapter » twenty

"Him? I can't believe you're in love with him."

"Shut up. At least I know my feelings."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Natsu's in love with you, you know, and all you two ever do is touch each other's butts."

"You're so immature."

"As are you."

"Why did I let you in here!" Lucy shouted in partial annoyance and partial laughter. She chucked the throw pillow at Gray over her head.

He managed to miss it just slightly. With a simple push of his hand, Gray smoothed his shaggy hair away from his eyes. "I'm irresistible to women." He cooed.

Lucy rolled her eyes at his hypnotic voice. "Yeah, a lotta good that does you." Her tongue poked out between her teeth childishly.

Unable to argue with that, Gray just shrugged and stuck his tongue out as well. "You know...Loke never hated me because I was gay."

Lucy was unsure if he was saying that to convince himself or her. It was Loke of all people--it would be less than a surprise if he did hate Gray for such a thing. "You don't think?"

Gray's lips twitched, the pale skin debating whether or not to smile or frown and somehow doing both in the process. "I told him I was gay before I had to courage to tell him I even liked him remotely. He seemed fine."

Feeling her own lips purse, Lucy bit down on them to hide her expressions. Her emotions had a habit of getting out of hand; it was easier to suppress them entirely. "Things aren't always what they seem."

Her nails picked at the cuticles of her fingers as she looked for any reason to distract herself from the topic of love. It was uncomfortable, and not in the germy way she was so used to; it was uncomfortable, uncharted, unknown territory. She couldn't spray some alcohol on it and clean it. Love was messier than anything.

"I just wish Natsu wasn't so protective over it." Gray refused to look at Lucy as she refused to look at him, both staring at their empty hands as if they were thinking about who possible could have been holding them. "It's nice, in a way, but--bothersome."

"He's trying." Lucy spoke quietly, her soft voice delving fifty shades more velvety and serene. "He tries so hard. I don't get it."

Gray sat up on the couch a little bit. Among a blur of dark hair and pale skin, Lucy looked at Gray as she caught him finally looking at her through her peripherals. "Some people care about other people a lot more than they care about themselves, you know?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh softly. "You think Natsu doesn't care about himself?"

The other man just scoffed. "Have you seen the way he eats?"

Among the slight shaking of her stomach as she laughed, she found her shaky nerves to be calmed as Gray laid his head down on her lap. Her legs stopped fidgeting and kicking against his. Just a headful of long black hair cascaded over the tops of her thighs as Gray turned his body and used her lap for a pillow.

A couple gold flecks of glitter dotted Lucy's legs.

"You're getting glitter on my couch." Lucy said blankly. Her hands threaded through the mess of hair on his scalp.