"Thanks for your help!"
I grimace at the table.
So cheery. So happy...so naive.
I hate who I was.
"Fairy Tail! I've always wanted to join!"
My teeth clench and my grip tightens on the glass of water I've been holding on to for the past five minutes.
My eyebrows drop into a glare.
Natsu Dragneel.
"I was wrong back then. Lucy."
What is with him? Why does it matter so much now when back then I was rejected.
He doesn't even know me.
Maybe he feels guilty...
Pathetic.
Only the weak mull over such feelings. There's no reason to think about how others are affected when the real person you should be worried about is yourself.
He shouldn't feel guilty over me.
I'm doing fine here.
My fingers turn white as they grasp tightly onto the glass, my thoughts racing through my head as my anger spikes.
Why did he have to show up? I never thought I'd see his face again after that day...I had moved on from it.
Now he's back here trying to stir up old memories when I'm doing fine!
The glass in my hand shatters, water spilling over the table and onto the floor. The people hanging out around me glance my way, but they all look away after their curiosity has been soothed.
I look back at the table and grimace as blood seeps from a wide cut on my hand.
"Dammit."
I whisper harshly under my breath.
I hate this. I feel so out of control letting my anger run free like this. I need to keep my emotions in check. I didn't spend the last three years pushing them away for nothing.
Why does he make me so angry?
Blood drips into the spilling water and I sigh.
Enough, Lucy.
I carefully push all of the pieces of glass into a pile.
"So, what did you find out on your little solo mission, Lulu?"
Jay appears beside me, putting emphasis on the word solo. I can hear a slight tenseness behind his cheery tone, something I can easily pick up on after almost three years.
I don't look away from the task in front of me, keeping my gaze away from his.
"I told you not to call me that."
"And yet I never stop. Maybe you should just stop trying?"
I sigh before standing up with all of the broken pieces and walking to the trash.
"Every time you call me that I tell you not to call me that. Don't you think it's getting a little old?"
Jay follows right beside me, his hands raising up to settle on the back of his head as we walk.
"I consider it as our little routine."
"I'd rather it not be."
He puts a hand to his heart mockingly.
"So cold."
His hand drops and he raises an eyebrow at me.
"Seriously, though, what's up with you today?"
I sigh.
"I...nothing."
I dump the glass in the trash and he gives me a look.
"What?"
"Why didn't you just make someone else do it?"
"Because I broke it."
He bumps my shoulder playfully and starts walking away while he talks, making me have to follow after him begrudgingly.
"You've been here for almost three years now, Lucy, you know how it works."
Jay stops at a table where a young teenage boy they picked up a few months ago sits by himself.
He pushes the kid's shoulder, causing him to stumble in his seat. The boy grabs his shoulder and looks up with angry eyes before seeing Jay standing above him.
His demeanor changes immediately.
Jay is high up.
He's the Master's nephew.
The lowest here are considered trash. I was there once and I'm happy to say that I've climbed out of that position long ago.
The kids we pick up are always the lowest.
"Y-Yes?"
Jay stares him down, the boy growing nervous as he stays silent.
"The trash over there has glass in it. How come you haven't taken it out?"
The boy stammers out a response.
"I-I didn't know-"
"Do you think I care."
Jay leans closer to the boy.
"If I ever see that trash even more than halfway full-"
He rests his hand on the handle of his sword.
"-someone is going to find you in there."
The boy shakes and nods his head just once.
Jay smiles and pats him on the back.
"Good."
He turns to me and wiggles his eyebrows playfully before turning around and beckoning me to follow.
My lips press together.
Why does it bother me so much?
I've seen and been through much worse here.
I walk beside him.
"I didn't ask you to do that."
"I know."
I glance at him, a content smile on his face. I look away quickly and train my eyes to the floor.
I feel so out of character today.
I've been thinking of the past too much.
"Lucy?"
My attention leaves my thoughts and goes to Jay whose attention is pointed down. I follow it and stop at my hand, where drops of blood fall to the floor.
"I cut it on the glass. It's nothing."
His head tilts to the side and he gives me a deadpan expression.
"C'mon, tough guy. Let's get you patched up."
He grabs lightly onto my wrist and takes me over to a table.
"Sit here. I'll be right back."
He walks off to one of the few rooms here, disappearing for a moment before reappearing and coming back to the table with a small first aid box.
He grabs something to clean it and reaches his hand out. I put my hand out face up for him and he starts soaking up the blood.
"You'd think-"
He puts the bloody cloth to the side and grabs some bandage.
"We'd invest in a healing mage."
He wraps it around my hand carefully.
"But as long as my uncle isn't in danger then he doesn't care what happens to the rest of us."
He finishes and puts everything back in the box.
"There."
I pull my hand back into my lap, resting my other hand on the bandages.
The tension I had been feeling since coming back finally leaves me and I start to feel more like myself.
"Thanks."
He smiles at me.
"Don't mention it...or do mention it. Your preference really."
He smirks and my face falls into annoyance.
"I won't."
He puts his hands up in defense.
"Alright alright...so you gonna tell me how you're last task went or not?"
My glare loosens and my body stiffens.
"It went fine. I got in, got the information, and got out."
He stares at me.
"That was it? Nothing else happened to have you all grumpy."
Natsu's face comes to mind and I grimace.
"Nothing."
Except something did happen.
And now I can't get it out of my head.
I can't let him get to me like this.
I want him out of my head.
I want to be done with this town and done with Fairy Tail.
"Jay. Where's your uncle? I actually wanted to see what's the next step in dealing with them."
———-
So we're gonna have alternating Natsu and Lucy POV for this part of the story cuz I love angst and this route we'll have lots of angst!🤗
Also I've missed writing in Lucy's POV so this is gonna be fun