With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 55

Gray was very worried about what Erza had discovered while examining him. He tried his best not to let it show but Natsu knew him like the back of his hand. He could tell that those hairs along with that sudden inner pain had him really spooked. It was on Gray's all of the next day, he struggled with focusing in his classes because he was worried his insides wouldn't suddenly start seething again.

"Why not take a little patrol around town?" Natsu had suggested to him when their classes were finished. "The cool air might clear your head."

Gray took his advice, changed into his costume, and started to take a few runs on some of the city rooftops. The air did help calm him down a little but he was still on edge. Nothing seemed to be able to distract him from his anxiety. Nothing except the sudden sight of Lyon and Juvia walking together down the street. Unable to resist, he lowered himself down from the roof to listen in on their conversation.

"You know Juvia say that there's someone else but if I remember correctly you said that he wasn't interested." Lyon said to her. "Now I backed off after that because I felt you needed some time to recover but it's been months and you still turn me down. Are you still hung up on him?"

"Yes." She admitted. "I know. It's embarrassing and I really want to go out with you it's just that...I just don't think I could ever look at you the way I look at him and that's not fair. Not to you. I feel like if I went out with you I would be giving you false hope."

"Maybe or maybe going out with me would help you get over him and find someone worthy of you. Even it's not me you don't deserve spend your life waiting on someone who can't return your feelings."

"You sound like Meredy and I know you're both right but I just can't help it. Gray is just-"

"Gray?"

Gray blushed, Juvia covered her mouth. She didn't want to tell Lyon because he and Gray were good friends and she didn't want to get in the way of that.

"Gray? Gray Fullbuster? My roommate?" Lyon said getting angry.

"Yes." She admitted. "My sister in-law and his aunt set us up before I met you and while I developed feelings for him, he just couldn't reciprocate them."

"Is that why you went out with me that first time? Because he was my roommate and you wanted to get closer to him?"

"No. That's not true. I didn't find out you were roommates until after you asked me out and I told you how I felt later on our date."

"But you didn't tell me who the someone else was."

"Gray was your roommate and your friend, I thought you'd get angry and blame him."

"Yeah right! You didn't tell me because you just wanted to get to him through me. Why else would you hang out with me if you preferred him?"

"Because I like you. You're a good friend."

"Wow you really had me fooled when we met. I thought you were this sweet and completely sensitive girl but you're way more deceptive than that."

"Lyon please-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" He turned his back and headed down the sidewalk to hail taxi. His last words to her for the night being: "Walk yourself home!"

Gray was stunned by the whole scene. He had never seen Lyon act that way before. He'd never been one to be so mean like that to anyone. Least of all a girl. What the hell got into him? He had half a mind to chase down that taxi and beat the crap out of him. But the urge to do that was briefly forgotten when he saw Juvia collapse on a bench and start to cry quietly.