Never Give Up

YOU TRICKED ME!

Ur was sweeping the floor when Gray walked in. She went to greet her son.

'Hey! How's your ---" Her smile faded when she saw Gray's appearance.

Gray gulped when he saw the fury in her mom's eyes. He was preoccupied by the previous events that he forgot to conceal his injuries.

"Look! Mom, I can explain." Gray tried to reason out. "We were just walking the street when Natsu---."

His mom doesn't seem to be listening. She was glaring daggers at him. She was moving closer and closer to him as she gripped the broomstick.

Gray gulped. "Oh, crap!" Then he ran as fast as he could. Her mom chased him around the house with a broomstick. They were running around in circles for half an hour when Ur grabbed a hold of him. She hit him hard in the head and back. He dropped to the floor and ward her beatings with his arms.

"Ow! Mom! Ow! I swear I won't do it again."

"How many times do I have to tell you to quit fighting, huh?" Ur screamed as she continuously hit him.

"I swear, I won't do it again. Ow! I promise!" Gray pleaded.

"You swore to me a lot of times but you never kept it! Next time you had the urge to fight just tell me and I'll gladly give you a beating you'll never forget." She ranted between beatings.

"This time I mean it, mom! I promise I'll ---" Gray was cut off when Lyon walked in. Lyon froze at the sight of his aunt and cousin. Ur had her arm in mid-air aiming to strike at Gray with a broom, while Gray was in defensive position.

"Uhm...what's going on?" Lyon awkwardly asked.

Ur got distracted by Lyon's presence for a moment. Gray seized this opportunity to fled into his room. He quickly locked the door before her mom could get through.

Gray slumped onto the floor catching his breath. He was startled when his mom rammed the door -- shouting. He scrambled away from the door and didn't dare to open it. Finally, Ur got tired and resort to yelling at his son.

"You 'dumbass' better fix your face before I stitch it with my bare hands, you hear?" She kicked the door one last time before retreating.

Gray heaved a sigh of relief when he heard her leave. He then grabbed his towel and went to the bathroom.
----------------------

Gray felt refreshed after a long bath. He dried his hair with a towel and felt a bump forming on his head. "Ouch!" He winced.

He checked himself in the mirror and saw that he got a small bruise on his cheek and a cut on his lip.

"Damn, Natsu! I hope he's more messed up than I am." 

He rummaged through his medicine cabinet and found an ointment and a band-aid. He was applying ointment on his cut when his thoughts drifted to Lucy.

Gray recalled the scenario bit by bit like in slow motion: Lucy hugged him tightly then slowly tiptoed to kiss him on the corner of his mouth. He caught a whiff of her smell which still lingers in his nose. She smelled like lavender with a hint of vanilla.

Gray was in a complete daze when he tasted something bitter. He looked in the mirror and saw that he had smeared his entire mouth with ointment.

"Bleh, bleh, bleh." Gray tried to spit it out and washed his mouth. Then, he wiped his mouth with a towel, re-applied the medicine, then covered his cut with a band-aid.

"Damn, that girl for messing with my head!" Gray cussed. "Her and her stupid kisses." He muttered as he stepped out of the bathroom.

He opened his cabinet to pick his outfit for the evening. He chose to wear a white shirt under his black jacket. He paired it with a denim pants which has torn parts as a design and matched it with his chucks. He put on his favorite necklace, which has a cross pendant, to complete his look.