Happy Friday! Is it freezing where you are? It's been super cold here. We're going to think warm thoughts this week. Like Fire Dragon-Slayer warm. Let's see how Natsu's doing at the Victory Gala.
- K. Chandler
"Juvia's having a good day," observed Happy.
Natsu turned to see Juvia beaming, her cheeks flushed. She had a hand over her mouth to muffle what were probably meant to be squeals of joy.
Natsu wasn't totally sure what had gotten Juvia all worked up, but was only one thing that could make her smile like that. Juvia had never been subtle, so Natsu knew exactly how she felt about Gray. Heck, everyone knew. There was no way the Ice Princess could have missed that fact, unless he was a total moron.
"I'll bet Gray said something to her," continued Happy. "He liiikes her!" the Exceed trilled.
Natsu shook his head. "I'm not so sure about that," he said.
"Really? How come?" asked Happy.
"I can just tell," shrugged Natsu.
If Gray liked Juvia back, that was fine, but if he didn't, he had no business getting her hopes up. And Natsu could have sworn that the Ice Block had a thing for Erza. That's what bothered him about this whole thing.
Natsu knew what he'd seen. Gray wasn't super obvious about it, but he wasn't nearly as sneaky as he liked to think he was. All the secret glances at their redheaded teammate when Gray thought no one was looking. The all too convenient excuses to do Erza little favors here and there. The way he'd always side with her in an argument. And, of course, the teasing that seemed to be reserved especially for Erza. As far as Natsu was concerned, those two were a done deal. He had been so sure that he would have bet his scarf on it!
Except… that wasn't Gray dancing with Erza. Somehow, Erza was dancing with Jellal and Gray was nowhere to be found.
That was the was the part that really confused Natsu. He hadn't pegged Gray as an indecisive guy. Cautious, maybe, but definitely not indecisive. How on earth would he have let Erza end up with Jellal?
Unless…
Natsu clenched his jaw. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but if Gray thought that he could play around with Juvia's heart because Erza was with Jellal, then the Ice Block had another thought coming.
It was a jerk move and Natsu didn't like it. This kind of two-timing was a new low. It was practically worthy of one of the Pegasus guys. Even though Natsu knew that it wasn't any of his business, he couldn't keep the frown off his face, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.
Gray didn't seem like the insincere kind of guy. Part of Natsu hoped that the Ice Block was just being careless. But if this kept up, someone was going to get hurt—probably Juvia and maybe Erza, too—and that was just not okay. They were both his guildmates and he wasn't about to let that happen to either of them.
Natsu sighed. What good were relationships if all they did was hurt the people you cared about? It didn't make any sense.
"What's wrong, Natsu?" asked Happy.
"I think the Ice Block might be an idiot."
"So? You always think that."
"Still trying to decide whether or not to track him down and pound some answers out of him," shrugged Natsu. "But if I do that, Erza might kill me. And if she doesn't, Gramps just might. Actually, it might not be worth it."
Natsu didn't understand why relationships needed to be so complicated.
He could remember when it was just him and Lisanna. Even when they were kids, she had been a little bit wacky with playing house and whatever. But she got him. She got him in a way that the others never could. When she was around, everything felt simple. It was just him and her, and everything just made sense. He missed that.
But then Lisanna died… and his heart hurt like he had lost Igneel all over again.
Moving on had taken a long time, especially when he couldn't remember what it felt like to smile. But he wasn't alone. The whole guild, Gramps, Gray and Erza, Elfman, Mira, Loke, Cana, Macao. All of them had grieved together. They had all helped to heal his broken heart.
Eventually, memories of Lisanna didn't feel so bad. They still hurt, because she was gone and she was never coming back. But they didn't hurt as much.
Then he'd met Lucy. Big-hearted, eager Lucy who smelled like peaches and cardamom and who could never pay her rent on time. Luce was insecure and maybe a little lonely. He could tell she needed a friend. So Natsu became that friend. There were days when he wondered if they were maybe a little more than friends. Sometimes the idea kept him up at night. But things were still pretty simple. After all, Lucy was Lucy.
Then Lisanna came back. And now both of them were here. And things were… complicated.
Not that Natsu wanted anything different. He was glad that Lisanna was back. And Lucy didn't belong anywhere but right next to him. But part of him wished things could go back to the way they were.
Back when things were simple.
Lisanna.
Lucy.
Both of them were very special people. And honestly, he liked both of them just fine. Sure, he liked them both differently, but it wasn't fair to ask him whether he preferred one over the other. That was like asking him if he'd rather give up ice cream or pizza for the rest of his life.
It wasn't just that he couldn't pick a favorite. It was the fact that if this kept up, someone was going to get hurt. That just wasn't okay. He couldn't do that to his friends.
"You look like you're thinking really hard," said Happy.
"Really?" asked Natsu with an awkward laugh. "Hey, Happy? What would you do if you had to pick between two things you really liked?"
"You mean like salmon and mackerel?" asked Happy.
"Not exactly. But, yeah, go with that."
"Well," said Happy, frowning. He paused as if to consider this. "I'd just have them both!" he declared.
Natsu let out a disbelieving breath. "I don't think it works that way, little buddy," said Natsu.
"Why not?" asked Happy. "Sometimes I have two kinds of fish for dinner," he insisted.
"I wonder if it's possible to friend-zone yourself," Natsu muttered under his breath.
"What?" asked Happy.
Natsu froze. That was it!
There was only one thing to do.
"Nothing. C'mon, Happy. I'm over this! Let's get outta here and get some real food. You up for some pizza?"
"I'd rather have some yummy fish," said Happy.
"We can get anchovy on it. Come on."
Lisanna waved cheerfully as he passed her. "Hey, Natsu! Hey, Happy! What'cha up to?"
"Nothin' really," said Natsu. He didn't stop. He couldn't.
"Wanna see what Bickslow just showed me?" she called after him. "It's a really cool trick you can do with champagne."
Natsu felt a twinge in his chest, and not in a good way. "Maybe later. Me and Happy got something to do," said Natsu.
"Oh… that's cool," she said. "Catch ya later!"
Lisanna's cheery tone wasn't fooling anyone. Natsu had seen the flash of disappointment in Lisanna's eyes. But Natsu couldn't worry about that now. The most important thing was that he didn't end up hurting her. He didn't think he'd be able to stand it if he made her cry.
Lucy caught him on the stairs. Natsu cringed.
"Natsu!" called Lucy. "What are—"
Natsu ducked his head, unable to meet her eyes. He swallowed hard, his mouth dry.
"Sorry, Luce. Gotta run!" he mumbled as he shouldered past her.
"Nats—Hey!" Lucy looked startled, but then she frowned.
Natsu gave a guilty grimace. This was for the best. It really was.
This way nobody would get hurt. Both girls were far too important to him. They were his friends first and foremost. He wouldn't risk that for anything.
Back at his house, Natsu ordered a pizza with anchovies, like he had promised Happy. Then he put in a movie lacrima and settled down on his couch, pushing aside a pile of laundry to make space for them to sit down.
"Natsu, are you sure that was a good idea?" asked Happy.
"What are you talking about?" asked Natsu. "Unless you want to match socks, the laundry can stay right there."
"No, I'm talking about us ditching."
Natsu smoothed the fur between Happy's ears. "Don't worry, little buddy! Everything's cool."
His Exceed partner looked at him with round eyes. "I don't think Lisanna was happy that you didn't want to hang out. Lucy looked pretty annoyed too."
Natsu shrugged. "I'm sure they'll forgive me by Monday. Lisanna's just nice that way. With Luce, I might have to invite myself over and bug her until she caves, but that's no big deal."
Happy gave him a dubious look. "Are you sure you won't regret this?"
Was he?
This was the right thing to do. It wasn't worth getting all bent out of shape. And if it came back to bite him later, he'd deal with it then.
"Eh, who needs girls?" said Natsu. Then he grinned. "I got you."
So, both Nalu and Nali are out of the picture for time being (Ack! Don't hate me! XD) until Natsu gets his head back in the game... but who knows how long that'll take. Natsu's never been a quick one. This is going to be a rough journey for some folks. Actually, I think this is exactly the sort of boneheaded thing that Natsu would do, though I do feel for the guy. He gets points for trying.
I had another reason for wanting to play with this scenario and it has to do with the one-year-gap in canon. I like Nalu as much as the next person, but I didn't feel it appropriate to turn the one-year-gap into a Nalu thing. Natsu's been looking for Igneel for years. Years. And then bad stuff happens and Natsu ends up running. Making it into a Nalu thing cheapens it, IMHO. But I can't deny that a sudden disappearance from our boy makes for great angst material. So I give you this Natsu disappearance to explore the first scenario. Then we can do the Igneel thing later (in a slightly different way, since it's Mazeverse, and by the time we get there, the characters will have morphed into something a little different than their canon counterparts).
Also, moving forward Natsu's going to treat Gray like he's some sort of criminal, since he's convinced that Gray is a serial player, even though he's not. Speaking of Gray, it would have been too easy to make him a player, or portray him in a negative light, but I really wanted to work with this idea that he (like Natsu and all the other guys here) is doing everything he can to make things work out for everyone. But sometimes, what he (or she) thinks is helpful, you don't. It sucks, but I think that's real. Half the theme of Mazeverse is that relationships aren't easy. (If they were, we'd all be living the good life, right? XD)
Next time, in [Mazeverse] Victory Gala, Cana's playing wallflower. Who comes to her rescue?: Cana huffed, leaning back against the wall. "Gray made me come."
Stop back next Friday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.
