Warning: The following chapter contains depictions of war scenarios.


Two minutes down, fifty-eight to go.

Group Therapy started when one particular gentleman stood up near the 'top' of the circle. Natsu immediately noticed two things about him; one, that he was wearing an Army t-shirt (Ha!), and two, that he had an artificial alloy leg from his left knee down. He was obviously in charge because the others in the group turned and quieted, regarding him almost like a Commanding Officer. Army Guy cleared his throat and the room went silent as they awaited further instruction like obedient broken toy soldiers.

"All right, let's get started," he said, his voice stern, definitely an ex-CO. Everyone had settled into their places, there being six members including himself and Army Guy. Natsu took a minute to mentally catalog everyone, a force of habit he still had yet to rid himself of. To the right of Natsu was a brunette woman who reeked of booze. Her clothes were skin tight, leaving very little to the imagination. Army Guy sat next to her. Beside him was an older guy with a pipe hanging from his lips, surrounded by a cloud of smoke. To his right was a guy closer to Natsu's age. He had jet black hair, pulled back tight in a man-bun. Both of his lower legs were artificial and he had a set of aluminum crutches beside him. The last member of the motley crew was a woman with bright green hair and an itchy trigger finger in her lap. They all introduced themselves one at a time before Army Guy, or Gildarts, settled his gaze on a certain pinket.

"Welcome to our group, Natsu," the elder man greeted, everyone else responding the same automatically. "Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself first, or after everyone else has gone?"

The answer was immediate. "I'll go at the end," Natsu replied respectfully, yielding the floor to the girl next to him named Cana. Serving a few years in the Air Force, she'd been a Supply Drop pilot. Her plane got shot down over enemy territory and she had to wait three days in the jungle before being found by allied troops. Gildarts confirmed Natsu's theory as the Army Captain reminisced on his service days before going into the details on how he'd lost his leg. His unit had been caught under heavy fire overseas and he'd gotten his leg trapped in the rubble of a bombed-out building. He'd been helping families out when the floor gave way, sucking him underneath the cement. By the time his guys had gotten the last person out, there hadn't been time to save the appendage. Wakaba, the pipe smoker, had also been in the Army. Apparently, he'd been in the same squad as Gildarts, the latter rising the ranks while the former stayed as an enlisted man. They'd both been injured in the same attack, so when Gildarts started the therapy group at the VA he'd signed up. The guy who was closest to Natsu's age introduced himself as Bacchus. He'd been in the Navy serving as Military Police for the Merchant Marines mostly. While protecting a shipment of medicine and other goods, his team was attacked by mercenaries, only leaving him and one other member alive. They'd barely held on long enough until help had arrived. He didn't give many details and no one said anything, leading Natsu to assume that the topic was still fresh. Bisca had been a Marine Sniper to Natsu's pleasant surprise, one of Fiore's first. After serving four tours she was Honorably Discharged, but still had difficulty dealing with being outside the military. Almost thirty minutes passed as they shared their pain and before it was Natsu's turn to share his.

"Well I'm a Marine too," he began, earning him a pat on the shoulder from Bisca. Natsu cleared his throat and begrudgingly continued with his 'sharing'. "I was stationed in Alvarez during the war, part of a Weapons Platoon working with an Explosive Ordinance Disposal team. Unfortunately one of the dogs didn't catch an IED buried on one of our patrols. I got lucky. I was only thrown back so hard that when I hit the humvee, I fucked up my spinal cord. I've been in a wheelchair for almost a year but I've been able to gain some feeling back." He chuckled darkly. "It's mostly pain, but pain's better than nothing right?" That earned him a battle cry from a couple of the group members and a grin from GIldarts.

The next half an hour passed by so quickly that Natsu hardly noticed when the timer had gone off, signaling the end of their session. Surprisingly he felt...lighter. He didn't really like talking about that kind of stuff with Gray and he especially couldn't talk to his family. Ever since he returned from his tour of duty, he had felt so alone. In Group Therapy, however, he shockingly felt like he was part of a team again, at least somewhat.

Without warning, Lucy magically appeared beside him, smiling as she had all day. "As promised, Corporal!" she remarked cheerfully, taking hold of the handles on Natsu's wheelchair. He'd let her push him around all day long if it meant she would keep smiling at him like that. It made him feel like he was back in uniform, standing tall and handsome. Part of him couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to meet her before his tour. She slowly guided them down the hall back toward the main lobby, the other members of the group either leaving on their own or with people who were already waiting for them. Natsu sighed at the fact that Snow Fairy was nowhere to be seen.

"Sergeant Fullbuster called to tell me that he would be a bit late," Lucy said sweetly, wheeling him to the side of her desk before sitting down in her office chair. "I hope you don't mind keeping me company." The Marine couldn't have thought of any post he'd rather have.

Natsu kept her company for the next hour, the two of them chatting about everything from the weather to her Social Work major at Magnolia University, the reason she volunteered at the VA in the first place. He told her about the accident and his squad back in Alvarez. They talked about her friends, and how she liked to go out after her night lectures. Natsu was amazed at how easily conversation flowed between the two of them. The best part was that she treated him like he was normal, like he wasn't half the man he used to be. If he was being honest, he smiled more in that hour with Lucy than he had in months.

Gathering as much courage as he could muster, the Marine breathed out shakily before he asked his next question. "So…" he drawled, dawdling in order to give him time to change course. "Your boyfriend doesn't mind that you spend your free time with broken Jarheads?" His heart raced just as fast as when he was caught under fire while he waited for her answer. Natsu silently rejoiced when the blonde beauty blushed to herself and turned away slightly.

"Can't worry a boyfriend if I don't have one," Lucy replied before turning a more steely gaze toward him. "And you aren't 'broken jarheads'. You served your country and now it's time that your country takes care of you for a while. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Before Natsu could stutter out a shocked response, Gray appeared as if by cock-blocking magic. The Sergeant wore heavy bags under his eyes and he looked absolutely drained. Desk jobs didn't mean easy jobs, especially in the Marine Corps.

"Ready to go?" Gray asked the pinket, noticing the stunned expression on Natsu's face. He couldn't tell if it was a good stunned or a bad stunned but figured everything was alright when the other Marine quickly snapped out of his daze.

"Let's go home, Ice Dick," he mocked, earning him a sarcastic chuckle and a fake smile. Natsu turned to Lucy and wished her a good day before she reached out, grabbing onto the armrest of his chair before he began rolling himself away.

"Thank you again for keeping me company, Corporal," she said genuinely, the same gorgeous glow rising in her cheeks. "See you in the morning."

Natsu grinned wildly, pride flickering in his chest like a candle being lit. "See you in the morning, Lucy."


Wow! I'm so glad you all are enjoying this story as much as you are. I'm absolutely in love with it so far and I can't wait to see how it progresses. This one probably won't be longer than 10-15 chapters, but we'll see. Gotta go with the flow and whatnot. Thank you all for your lovely comments. See you next week! :D