Hey guys! Welcome to my new story, What Will It Take! I hope this goes well, and if it does, it will go on for a long time. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy, and I'll see you later! Storm Out!
Erin nodded his head in time to the music blaring from his headphones as he walked across the campus of Magnolia University. Not many people were on campus, seeing as there was still a week before classes started, so Erin could let his mind wander without too much fear of running into someone. Absentmindedly rolling up the sleeves of his navy button-down, he glanced skyward. 'I should probably get going, if I want to get to the flat by noon to meet everyone.' It was cool that the university gave them the option to stay in apartment buildings, rather than just the traditional dorm system. Made life a hell of a lot easier when he wanted something to eat, since it came with a fully furnished kitchen. "Alright," he said aloud, "Let's get going." Striding forward, he stopped abruptly as he ran into someone, who promptly dropped her stuff. Of course, being six-five and clumsy didn't help as he went to take a step back and tripped over his own suitcase, sending him careening towards the earth.
"Oh, my god, are you okay? Are you hurt?" a female voice asked concernedly. Looking up at the person he had run into, he was met by a startlingly beautiful red-haired girl in a white blouse and blue skirt, looking down at him worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine." Erin said, massaging his backside. "Shit, just tripped over my stuff. It's not easy being the human version of a giraffe." That got a laugh out of her, as she offered a hand to help him up. "Name's Erin. Erin Noctem. How's it going?" Erin mentally kicked himself. 'LAME! C'mon, man! You just literally ran into a beautiful woman and THAT'S the best you can do? I mean, I know that you have issues with relationships, but at least ask if she's okay before you clock out!' "I'm Erza Scarlet, and I'm doing just fine, thank you very much." Heaving his lanky frame to his feet, he apologized to Erza, and asked if he could buy her dinner as an apology. "NO!" she exclaimed almost before the question had fully left his mouth. "No. Its fine, you already apologized." She said, a little more calmly, but still with a look of terror in her eyes. Erin raised an eyebrow internally, but acquiesced. "Alright, then I've got to get going. See ya around!" He turned and left, tossing a wave over his shoulder. 'Wonder what her deal was? She all but blew a fuse when I asked if I could make up for running into her.' Shrugging it off, he headed for the other side of campus towards the apartments.
"Anybody home?" Erin said as he walked in to the flat. He laughed as he heard a loud thud from the right bedroom, and seconds later, a salmon-haired man walked out, rubbing the back of his head. "Damn, that hurt. Hey, I'm Natsu Dragneel. What's up?" the man said, offering a hand and an enthusiastic smile. "I'm Erin Noctem. You in there?" Erin asked, gesturing towards the door that Natsu had just walked out of. "Yeah, just finishing up my side of the room." "Alright, guess I'll start on my side, then. Anyone else here?" Erin glanced at the other door, which sat across the rather large living area. "Not yet, but I hear that it's a couple of kids from up North." "Cool," Erin said, exploring the rest of the spacious flat. Another door sat on the wall behind Natsu, which led to a shared bathroom, and each bedroom had its own bathroom. An open doorway led through to the kitchen, which contained a sink, a stove/oven combo, a full-size refrigerator and freezer, a microwave, an abundance of both cabinets and counter space, and a weather radio. "I already stocked the cabinets with plates and cups, but if you brought your own, you can put them together or separate if you want." Natsu said, leaning against the doorframe as Erin inspected all the cabinets. "Thanks, but I'll pass for now. Flip a coin for who gets which bunk?" Erin said, walking into their shared bedroom. "Sure." Natsu produced a quarter from the pocket of his baggy white trousers, and held it out to Erin, who shook his head. "I'll call." "Suit yourself," Natsu shrugged, then flicked the coin high into the air. "Heads!" Erin stated confidently as Natsu caught the coin. Natsu opened his hand, and then scowled. "Alright, which one do you want?" "I'll take the top bunk." Erin claimed, eyeing the offset beds. "Alright! I wanted bottom bunk anyways, that way I could move my desk into the little space underneath!" "Well, there you go. I'm gonna step out a little so I can run and grab my car. You good here?" "Yeah," Natsu said. "Is it a nice car?" "Oh, hell yeah. '69 Ford Shelby GT500." Erin said as he turned to leave. He smirked as Natsu's jaw almost audibly hit the floor. "See ya in a few!"
'He seems like a nice guy. I'm pretty sure I could trust him a little bit.' 'Just not too much!' a voice in the back of his head piped up. 'You learned that lesson the hard way!' Erin shook his head, walking quickly to where his car was parked in front of the admissions office. 'Yeah,' he thought, memories popping up unbidden from the drawer in the back of his head that was normally locked tight.
A dark night, two years ago. He had just turned sixteen, and his mom had gifted him his Mustang. As thanks, he drove her and his sister out for dinner and a movie. As they walked back to the car, they fell in step with another man, who struck up conversation in a friendly manner. After the half hour walk, no one stopped to wonder why the man had followed them all that way. That is until the man pulled a gun, shot him and his mother, and brutally raped his sister in front of him. Powerless, all Erin could do was watch and listen as his sister was violated, screaming for help as the man laughed and silenced her with a quick punch. After what seemed like hours, the man finished, and took his mom's wallet for good measure. Seemingly to gloat, the man knelt down in front of Erin. "The name's Jose, kid. Jose Porla. If you survive, don't bother coming after me, unless you want to end up like your darling mommy and sweet little sister."
Erin snapped back to reality, sealing the drawer in the back of his mind shut tight again. Sighing, he vaulted into the topless car and started it up, the familiar roar of the engine calming his frayed nerves. 'That reminds me, I gotta set up an appointment with Reedus. I think it's about time to finish that tattoo.' Shrugging, he backed out of his spot, threw the car into first gear, and took off.
Natsu had resumed motion when he got back, and he ran out when he heard the roar of the engine. "Dude, where did you get this?! They're almost impossible to find!" Frowning at the lack of response, he looked up at the other boy, and saw sadness in his blue eyes. "I'd prefer not to talk about it. Nothing personal." "Understood." Natsu said, surprising Erin. "Hey, man, we all gotta keep some secrets. I want you to feel like you can trust me enough to tell me, but I'm not gonna push you." Looking down at the ground, he added in an undertone, "I got some stuff that I prefer to keep to myself as well." "Oh, well," Erin said, desperate to change the subject. "I'll pop the hatch, and get my stuff set up, and then I'll run to the grocery store and grab stuff to fill the fridge." "Sounds like a plan," Natsu laughed. "Let's go!"
Three hours later, Natsu and Erin pulled up, having decided to take Natsu's truck as opposed to what Natsu called, "Heaven on Four Wheels." Pulling up, they saw two new cars parked outside the flat. "Guess the others are here." Natsu said, climbing out. "Guess so," Erin said grabbing six or seven grocery bags. "Let's go meet 'em!"
Stepping inside, they saw two men standing in the living area. They were both moderately tall, though neither had anything on Erin, and fit. One had a ton of piercings on his face, covering bot eyebrows, one side of his nose, and a lone stud pierced his lower lip. The other one was bare-chested, and they were both moving heavy boxes into their bedroom. Suddenly, the bare-chested one tripped, causing the box to fall towards the floor. In a flash, both Natsu and Erin grabbed the box, preventing whatever was inside from meeting a hard demise via wooden floor. "Thanks," the new guy said, picking himself up from the floor, "the name's Grey Fullbuster. Mr. Metal over there is Gajeel Redfox. We went to the same high school up north." "How's it going?" Gajeel asked, nodding in their direction. "Not bad, not bad," Natsu replied, handing Gray back the box, "I'm Natsu Dragneel. The giant over there is Erin Noctem. I'm from here in Magnolia." "I'm from out east. Just outside of Port Hargeon." Gajeel nodded. "Thanks for the help. We'll be out in a moment to help with food." "Alright!" Natsu exclaimed.
While they were helping, Erin learned that all four of them had a shared interest in football, and nearly died from laughing when Natsu and Gray almost came to blows over the rivalry between their two teams, Natsu being a diehard Liverpool fan, and Gray having supported Everton since he started playing football. They pretty much accepted Erin's absolute fandom of Chelsea, but all three of them growled when Gajeel admitted to being an Arsenal fan. They also quickly bonded over anime, with Gray and Gajeel being avid followers of Death Note, Natsu and Erin following Naruto, and all of them enjoying Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist (even getting into a lengthy discussion on which was better, the original or Brotherhood), Soul Eater, and The Seven Deadly Sins, among others. As they laughed and told stories, Natsu posed a question. "So is anyone here going for the football team?"
"Yeah," Erin replied with a smile, "that's why I came here, instead of going to Hargeon Tech. Magnolia University offered me a full ride." Gray chuckled. "Gajeel and I both got partial scholarships to come play." "And I'm a preferred walk-on, so we're all guaranteed spots on the squad!" The boys laughed and high fived each other, before Natsu scrambled to the door to grab the pizzas they ordered. They continued to talk and joke until late that night.
Erin jolted awake, a cold sweat dousing his body. The nightmare had returned, for the first time in a year, and more vivid than ever. He hunched over as the dream replayed itself in his head, every detail exaggerated greatly. He rolled over, heart pounding, and thoughts racing. 'Will I ever be free of those memories?'
'Will I ever learn to love again?'
Aaaaaand SCENE! There's the first chapter, so leave a review and tell me what you guys think! This will probably updated around the same time as my other story, Fairy Extinction. See you guys later! Storm Out!