Self-Defense
Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail
*Author's Note #1 – WARNING: The moves described in this fic CAN hurt others. Do NOT use these moves unless it is for SELF-DEFENSE. If you are interested in learning/practicing SELF-DEFENSE, please CONSULT a PARENT/GUARDIAN and/or sign up for a CLASS on SELF-DEFENSE.
*Author's Note #2 – WARNING: Mentions of sexual abuse in this chapter.
Chapter 7 – Groin Hammer Blow (Rated M)
Gray and Natsu had decided—since they were both mature young adults—that they would share the bed in Natsu's bedroom. Gray was too big to sleep on the couch comfortably and he and Happy…well, enough said. So, last night, they'd opted to share the same bed again.
And that's just how Natsu found himself when he woke, although, he felt a bit strange. An arm that looked a lot like Gray's was wrapped around his waist tightly and he was in a deep sleep. The more Natsu struggled to get free, the tighter Gray's hold became. And that's when he felt it.
Something hard was pressing into Natsu's ass, and when he realized what it was, he nearly screamed. Gray had a hard-on! And whenever he moved, Gray would just moan in his sleep and move closer.
Turning every shade of red, Natsu decided that speaking would probably be the best way to wake Gray up. "Gray?" he called out shakily.
"Mn," came Gray's reply as he snuggled closer.
"Gray! Wake up!" Natsu hissed, elbowing him in the stomach, albeit as gently as he could.
Gray woke with a start, and when he realized what position and condition he was in, he scrambled away and fell out of the bed with a resounding thud. "I'm sorry, Natsu! I'm sorry!" he rambled over and over again.
"It's okay, Gray," replied the pinkette. The incident had been embarrassing—and yet, unnerving for Natsu—for the both of them.
Gray blushed as he stood. "I'm…going to take a shower," he stammered as he bolted for the bathroom, leaving Natsu stunned.
This gave Natsu the chance he needed to reevaluate what was going on. A physical relationship was not something they had talked about yet. They hadn't even kissed! All they'd done was hold hands and hug, and then he'd woken up to an aroused yet sleeping Gray!
Natsu had to wonder if Gray was frustrated sexually, that is. But he didn't…he wasn't sure if he was ready to have that conversation with Gray yet. He knew that they'd have to talk about it eventually, but he was afraid of disappointing or angering him when he would have to tell him that—
"Natsu? The shower is free if you want to use it," Gray announced, coming back into the room fully dressed—surprisingly.
Natsu nodded absently as he traced imaginary designs on the bed sheets.
"Are you all right?" inquired Gray, sitting next to Natsu on the bed and taking his hand in his. Natsu flinched. "If it's about…what occurred this morning, then I'll just sleep on the couch from now on. Sharing a bed probably wasn't the best idea since our relationship is still very new."
"That's not it," Natsu whispered, suppressing the tremble that went through his body. "I need to know if I can…trust you."
Gray was taken aback. Natsu wanted to know if he could trust him? Well, of course he could! Didn't he know that? "You can trust me, Natsu. I promise you that," he said sincerely.
Natsu took a deep breath. "I'm not…ready for any sort of a physical relationship yet."
"I understand," replied Gray. "We'll only move on to that point when both of us are ready."
"Even if it takes me a very long time?"
Gray assumed that there was something more to this than what Natsu was actually saying. "What's this really about, Natsu? You can tell me anything."
"I think I'm gonna take that shower now," said Natsu, springing from the bed, but Gray caught him.
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me. Didn't you tell Loke yesterday not to take no for an answer? Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Now, please tell me what's bothering you."
Natsu's eyes stared at him nervously, and Gray could depict a tinge of fear in them. But was it of him or something else?
"I'm…afraid to tell you," Natsu whispered.
"Why? You don't ever have to be afraid to tell me anything."
"But what if you don't want me anymore after I tell you?"
Slowly, the pieces started coming together. "Did someone…touch you?" Gray asked, his voice deathly low. When Natsu started crying, he knew he'd guessed right. "Tell me what happened, Natsu. Please."
"It happened so long ago," Natsu gasped. "I'd been ready to never have a relationship after that, but when I met you, I couldn't stop the way I felt. And when you wanted to be with me, I thought it was a dream come true. But in the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn't last because eventually you'd want something more from me. And I don't know if I can give that to you as soon as you want it."
"Natsu, I need you to tell me what happened. Don't make a decision about us before I know all the facts. Now, tell me," Gray insisted.
Natsu stared at the ground. He wanted to tell Gray. He really did. But he was afraid of what Gray would do after he found out.
"When I was…seven, m-my dad's friend, Acnologia, came into my bedroom. E-Everyone else was asleep, but as soon as he o-opened my door…I woke up. He c-closed the door behind him…and l-locked it. He came t-toward me…threw my b-blankets off…then he started unzipping his p-pants. H-He said that if I made any noise, he'd k-kill me."
Gray was finding it hard for him to breathe.
"He g-grabbed my hair and p-pulled me out of my bed. Next, he…he pulled out his…his p-penis and told me to…to lick it. A-And he said that if I didn't do what he wanted, he'd kill my dad. S-So I did it." Natsu was really starting to cry now. "And then he sh-shoved himself in m-my mouth…and he t-touched me d-down there! I didn't want him to, but he did it anyway! I didn't want to do it, Gray! I didn't want to! But he made me!"
"Shh," Gray hushed calmingly, pulling the trembling teen into his arms.
"That was the only time he d-did it. But I've been a-afraid of telling anyone I got close to because then…they wouldn't want me anymore." It was then Natsu noticed that Gray still held him. "Aren't y-you disgusted with me?"
"Natsu, I am not disgusted with you. What was done to you was wrong. And I would never force you to do anything you didn't want to. I really care for you, Natsu." He wiped some of the pinkette's tears away. "What happened him? Acnologia?"
"He was shot by our friendly neighborhood gang," Natsu replied wryly. "He's dead. Has been for a few years."
For that, Gray was actually relieved. Otherwise, he would have hunted that man down and punish him for what he had done..
Natsu looked really upset. He was even starting to hiccup because of his crying. "Maybe we should stay home from school today."
"No. I h-have to go. I need to teach," Natsu argued. "I'll be fine…by then."
"Are you sure? Because I still think we need to talk about this. Have you spoken to a…professional about what happened to you?"
"Yes. Around the same time I took that Self-Defense class," Natsu replied, calming down slightly. "I've always been afraid that…if I told anyone else, I'd scare them away…or that they'd be disgusted with me or something. I just need someone to be…patient with me."
"I'm a very patient person, Natsu. And you haven't scared me away. In fact, you've drawn me closer to you. Now I see just how much love, care, and affection you really need and I have plenty to give to you. If you'll let me, that is."
"I want to let you," Natsu implored. "I really do."
"Then I'd say we're one step closer to strengthening our relationship. So, you'll let me take care of you?"
Natsu nodded, feeling absolute relief for the first time in his life. And when Gray kissed him gently on the forehead, he finally felt safe and secure.
4th Period – Self-Defense
"Good morning, class," started Natsu. He definitely looked and sounded a lot better than he had earlier that morning. "Today we're gonna learn a new move called the Groin Hammer Blow."
Natsu directed Gray to grab the shield from yesterday and he stood in front of it.
"For the Groin Hammer Blow, your weapon will be the side of your fist and it will be the same arm movement you use for the Groin Strikes. Your target on your attacker will be the pubic bone or front of the groin. Again, you'll shift your hips to make a space, lift your arm as much as possible and strike. Don't forget to snap back."
Showing the students how to execute the move, Wendy took over. A few demonstrations later, Natsu released the class to practice the new move.
"Are you okay?" Gray asked, whispering so no one could hear them.
"I'm fine," Natsu replied strongly.
"But this morning—"
"It wasn't what had happened to me that upset me this morning," he interrupted. "It was how I thought you'd react. I thought that you'd…leave me. But instead, you stayed by my side and said that you wanted to help me."
"Okay. If you say you're fine, I believe you. Otherwise…Erza might try to kill me," Gray said uneasily.
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Why would she try to kill you?"
"If she sees you cry or something, she might think I've hurt you. You know how she is," Gray claimed.
Natsu resisted the urge to laugh. However, the sad part of it was that Gray was probably right. She did have a tendency to jump to conclusions every once in a while. And it wasn't like he and Gray had had a solid relationship before getting together romantically.
Self-Defense Recap – Groin Hammer Blow
*WEAPON: Side of fist, same arm movement as Groin Strikes
*TARGET: Pubic bone/front of groin
*Shift hips to make a space
*Lift arm as much as possible and strike using SNAP BACK
End Chapter
