The King of Cards | Gray Fullbuster x Male Reader

Chapter 2 A Heartfilia in trouble

A few hours later
I was chosen as temporary leader until the master gets so I decided we should patch the guild up the best we could at the moment and it was once again our base of operations. None of them know it but I'm not actually supposed to be able to stand or even be conscious and yet somehow, I am.

I was getting stressed from leading so I decided I needed a break for a bit and went outside to get some fresh air. After a bit, ashadow walked up to me so I looked back to see Gray walking over to me. "You seem like you need someone to talk to." He told me, now standing beside me. I knew he was angry, stressed and worried but he seemed so calm right now.

I sighed and shook my head. "This isn't how I thought my return to Fairy Tail would be. I thought I'd be laughing and drinking with the guild but I guess that was too much to hope for." I told him as looked down at the ground. He sighed and hugged me, holding me lightly.

I hugged him back and put my head on his shoulder. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain on the back of my head and I almost fell from the pain. He pulled back from the hug and helped stabilize me with a worried look on his face. "There's something wrong. Tell me. Now." He said sternly, scolding me like I'm a child who did something wrong.

I took off the bandage on my head and showed him the big slash in the back of my head. He let out a very audible gasp at how bad it looked. "I don't know why they didn't stitch it together at the hospital but it doesn't hurt that much. It's not bleeding anym-" I cut myself off when I felt Gray's cold hands touch the wound.

He use his magic to freeze the cut then moved back. "That should help but it will probably be numb in a few minutes or you'll get a brain freeze." He told me after I turned to look at him. His smile was light but he stopped smiling for some reason.

I turned around then saw Natsu running with a dust cloud behind him and a crying Lucy on his back, Happy flying beside them. In all my years of knowing Natsu, I've never seen him run that quickly. He got to the top of the guild and his eyes went wide when he saw me. "Holy shit, you're actually back. Last time I heard, you were in the hospital." He said as Lucy continued to cry on his back.

I smiled and nodded. "You really think a cut in my head and a bunch of scratches and bruises will keep me down? Do you know who you're talking about?" I asked him with a snicker. "I'm The King of Cards, one of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards. I wouldn't let my guild fight this battle alone." I told him, grinning as I held up a few cards then putting them back in my deck.

The now not crying Lucy tapped Natsu on the shoulder to tell him he could put her down and he did. Sighed and refused to make eye contact with any of us. "I figured out why they attacked us..." She told us, making me look at her with confusion. She looked like a child who felt guilty about breaking something expensive. "They're here for me. My dad payed them to capture me and bring me back to him." She explained to us, making Gray and I's eyes grow wide with shock.

Gray looked like he was thinking then frowned. "I don't think you told us anything about your family at all. I'm guessing this is why." He said and she nodded, starting to cry a bit again.

"His name is Jude Heartfilia, owner of the Heartfilia brand." She told us, making me even more shocked. I've heard of the Heartfilia family on some jobs here and there but never paid much mind to what people said about them.

"So this means we're dealing with a rich man and a guild with one of the 10 Wizard Saints? How'd we get lucky enough for a fight like this?" Natsu said as flames lit up his fists and he punched his palm.

I sighed, shaking my head while Lucy laughed. "You never change, do you?" She asked him, wiping some of the tears from her eyes. She was now smiling but also still had eyes full of sadness.