Compliments

Chapter 13-No Sympathy Intended

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima

All the foundation and blush I had applied before the party came off, simple as that. I knew I should’ve gotten water-resistant products. I broke out of the water, gulping down a breath of air, before covering my cheek with a dripping hand.

“Lucy? Did you hit your cheek? Are you ok?” Natsu fretted, rushing to my side. His warm hands hovered just above my shoulders’ as if he’d hurt me in some way by such a simple touch. Before I could tell what he was doing, he lifted my hand from my wrist, allowing him to see the small series of scars just below my left eye. His worried gaze froze into shock, and his grip on my wrist slackened, allowing me an escape. I rushed into the house; I’d find a bathroom somewhere. I slipped on the cold tile, my wet feet flying across the surface.

“Hey! Lucy, you alright? Why isn’t Natsu with you?” A familiar voice asked, and I looked up to see a shirtless ink-haired boy standing above me. Concern glazed in with his gaze, and he helped me up, my hand still pressed against my cheek.

“Thanks, I’m fine. Can you tell me where the bathroom is?” I asked quietly, and he directed me down a short hallway. I muttered a quiet thanks and made my way into the small bathroom, locking the door behind me.

“He saw them,” I whispered to myself, running a hand through my blonde hair. I examined the scars in the mirror; tracing a finger along the small lines the kitchen knife had given me. I remember each line perfectly, how my “father” angled the dull blade just enough the perfectly penetrate my skin. How his eyes full of hate flooded over me, how I cowered against the counter as he continued carving nonsense lines into the soft flesh of my cheeks.

I was just glad no one had ever seen the big scars. The horrible, painful, bumpy ones stained into my stomach. The man dubbed as my father had used a pair of scissors for that cut, and I remember my blood curling screams, and the look of enjoyment spilled perfectly across his face as he dug the pointed tool into my belly. A pound on the door hauled me from my thoughts.

“Lucy? Lucy are you in here?” Natsu yelled, another round of pounds on the door.

“If a person locks themselves in the bathroom, I’m pretty sure the other people should get the message that they want to be left alone,” I hissed, and I felt a scowl tug at my lips.

“Please, can you just tell me-“

“Just go, so that I can go home!” I yelled again, anger rising inside of me.

“Why don’t you want anyone to know? Why can’t anybody know?” Natsu asked, and I could tell he was struggling to keep his voice calm and lowered.

“I don’t want their sympathy,” I stated, and unlocked the door, revealing said boy. He gave me sad eyes, all too familiar sympathy. The thing I hated almost as much as my father.

“What did I just say? I say I don’t need or want your sympathy, and that’s exactly what you give-“ my sentence was cut short, as I felt warm lips envelop my own. Calloused hands held my shoulders, holding me against the wall. I stood frozen in deep shock until his lips left mine, and I noticed I had taken my hand off my cheek. He held me there, and examined the lines fabricated forever in place. My eyes trailed down; from shame or bashfulness of his intense gaze I wasn’t sure.

“If you don’t want sympathy, then it looks like I’ll have to make you fall in love with me faster,” he whispered against my ear, while grazing his fingertips against the scars. “Oh, and I almost forgot to say that I love your swimsuit, it’s cute.” And with that final compliment he left me against the wall, face flushed, heart pounding. How did he change my emotions around so fast?

“Gray, if it’s not any trouble, do you have any Band-Aids? I- hit my cheek,” I asked lamely, and he gave me a look.

“Yeah, hang on,” he chuckled, leaving to get my requested item. “Here you go. For your, cheek injury,” he laughed, and I took it from him gratefully, laughing softly as well. I tore open the Band-Aids, and turned away to place them over my scars. I’ve had them long enough to know where they were.

“Hey, don’t think I don’t know what happened between you and Natsu just a second ago,” Gray teased, and I whipped my head up to look at him.

“You two are progressing fast,” he chuckled, and the blush on my face seemed t increase.

“Yeah,” I muttered, “I guess we are.”