He knew it was late now but instead of keeping it bottled inside, he let it out,"Its because Gray loves Juvia."
Natsu grinned widely, as he saw Gray looking away shamefully.
Juvia was happy beyond words! Gray finally admitted it! He finally said it!
Gray was now regretting admitting his feeling. Natsu was right. He had no right to choose anyone for Juvia, not after he kept her waiting for so long. However, he couldn't help but feel pathetic. Last day she told him that she would wait for him to realize his feeling, was it all a fluke? Was she tired of waiting? He couldn't blame her, anyone would be frustrated to get rejected so many times. It was a miracle, Juvia waited this long.
And that was hurting him the most. He had lost her, he didn't utilize the opportunity when he had the chance. He was so worked up on keeping Lyon away from Juvia that he forgot about others who could have been interested in her too.
He felt his eyes burning as he tried to keep his tears under control. The entire room was silent, Juvia hadn't uttered a word, Mira was looking at him, Lucy, she probably left a long time back. Natsu, that bastard, was standing, fixed in his position.
"You can laugh at my pathetic state," Gray hissed out, getting the Pinkette attention,"You finally got a girlfriend before me, Natsu."
Natsu chuckled and Gray didn't fail to hear it. The shorter man would probably tease him for this for the rest of his life. Gray knew kind of deserved it.
"Was it that hard to confess?" Natsu asked, his tone amused. Gray was refusing to make eye contact with anyone, let alone say anything other than venomous words directed towards the salmon haired boy.
Gray looked up, seeing a happy smile on Juvia's face. His attention turned to Natsu, who was grinning as always.
"Aren't you gonna tease me?" Gray asked skeptically.
"For being honest? I'll pass," Nastu grinned as he picked up his scarf which had fallen during the fight.
Gray was beyond confused now,"Wait, I said I like your girlfriend and you're not angry?"
Juvia shifted a little to come closer to Gray as she softly whispered,"Natsu-san and I aren't dating."
"But you said you were!" Gray asked her, his mouth agape.
"Actually, I said it," Natsu was now rubbing his jaw,"You bruised my jaw teme!"
Ignoring his whining, Gray looked at Juvia and then Natsu, finally realizing. He had been tricked!
"So you two..."
"Juvia can't date Natsu-san!" The blunette blushed harder as she bowed down in embarrassment,"She likes only Gray-sama."
Mira threw the keys in Gray's direction, and with a wink added,"I think you two have some things to discuss. Lock the bar when you both leave." She happily hopped out followed by Natsu, who was looking around. Sensing his concern, Juvia whispered out,"Natsu-san! Juvia saw Lucy-san leaving."
"In this rain?" Natsu asked and gave a worried sigh when she nodded.
Shrugging, he winked in their direction,"No sex here, understood Ice Princess?"
Gray showed the Pinkette his middle finger and Natsu ran out with an umbrella, going to Lucy's house.
Once Natsu was out, Gray stayed silent as he observed how Juvia was standing awkwardly, rubbing her arms. It was the end of november and the temperature was dropping. If everything goes well, there could be snowfall in magnolia this year.
"So?" Gray finally started.
Juvia coughed a little to get his attention as she apologized,"Juvia didn't mean to make Gray-sama cry! Juvia is sorry!"
He put a hand on her cheek, making her face him. Her face was flushed, eyes a little puffy. There was a faint blush on her cheek, probably because of Gray's confession. The dark haired man sighed a little as she relaxed in his touch.
"Who proposed this?" He finally asked.
"Natsu-san said that Gray-sama needed a push in the right direction! Trust Juvia! She never meant to hurt you!" Juvia frantically explained, panicking because they were alone.
"I guess I owe that knucklehead a thanks," he smiled a little.
"Aren't you angry?"
"I was angry when he said he was dating you," Gray confessed again,"I guess I was jealous."
As much as it hurt her, she didn't want him to be hers under force. Removing his hand from her cheek, she looked down guiltily, unable to meet his gaze.
"Juvia?" Gray was now horrified, had she changed her mind? "What's wrong?"
A tear escaped her eye as she bit her lip to control her sobs,"Gray-sama don't have to date Juvia because of this. This whole idea was stupid."
"Juvia..."
"Juvia is sorry. She should've never agreed to it."
The man was now frustrated,"Juvia.."
"It made you cry. Juvia is unworthy of Gray-sama. She should just leave."
The man pulled her into a hug as he began running his fingers through her messed up hair,"Shut up woman."
"Gray-sama.."
The whimpering girl molded perfectly into his hug, their body heat mingling beautifully. Her hands wrapped around his waist, he pulled her closer, whispering in her ears,"Gray wants to date Juvia. Will Juvia go on a date with him tomorrow?"
Without breaking the contact, the happy girl agreed,"I would love to go on a date with you Gray."
.
Natsu was whistling to himself as he was walking towards Lucy's apartment, happy that he did the right thing, hopefully.
He had waited for everyone to leave to execute his plan. Juvia was unsure at first but agreed to take the risk. Gray was worth it.
But why on earth did Lucy leave without him? She always went home with him, no matter how late it was. Moreover, he always enjoyed walking with her, enjoying her meaningless talks and stories about the books she had read.
He couldn't explain how he made him feel. He was confused. Juvia had told him that Gray made her heart beat fast.
However, whenever he was with Lucy, his whole body relaxed. His heart calmed down and his mind was put at ease. He smiled even at the most stupid jokes she used to make and chuckled when she did something Lucy like or in other words, did something weird.
Seeing the window closed, he sighed and made his way to the front door, knocking softly,"Luce?"
No reply.
Wasn't she back home? According to Juvia, she left a long time ago! He tensed up as he knocked again,"Luce?"
He heard a few shifting sounds from inside and gave a relieved sigh. She was probably sleeping, he told himself.
The blonde, looking utterly messed up opened the door, her dress crumpled up, makeup messed up with hair in a messy bun. Seeing Natsu, she forgot to breathe for a a moment as she debated whether she should close the door or invite him inside.
"You look weird Luce," Natsu said as he got in, dumping his shoes at the doorstep. He quickly looked away from her. Lucy like this, raw and messy, was sending shivers down his spine and his face flushed. Now was not the time to be fantasising about her!
"Who ...what... Natsu?" She quickly collected herself.
Hearing her rasp voice, he turned around, his eyes widening on seeing her,"Luce? You'kay?"
She nodded slightly,"Kind of."
He watched as she was waiting at the doorstep, swaying sightly and fighting to keep her eyes open. He raised his eyebrows at her actions and couldn't help but ask,"Is something wrong?"
She couldn't believe him! Trying to control her anger and disappointment, she asked,"Aren't you going to leave?"
"Why should I?"
"Because you have a girlfriend now! You just can't have a sleepover at a girl's place!" She answered. And I will be glad if you leave me alone to cry all night.
He crooked his head sideways and gave a confused look, asking,"My girlfriend?" Then it dawned on him,"You mean Juvia?"
Lucy's heart cringed on hearing that name."Yes, Juvia."
She watched as his expression turned from that of surprise to laughter. A vein popped in her forehead as she balled her hands into fists, ready to punch the man in front of her.
"What's so funny Natsu?"
"Juvia.." Natsu said between his chuckles,"We ain't dating!"
She grumpily closed the door as she took a seat in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest,"You said you were."
"That was for Gray," he was laughing again.
"Gray?"
He relaxed into the couched, spreading his legs to be more comfortable,"Yup, to make him understand his feelings or something of that sort."
Lucy couldn't believe he ears, he was just helping Juvia and Gray? He wasn't in love with Juvia? This was just too much! She didn't know what to do, laugh as he was not interested in Juvia or cry at the misunderstanding.
So she did both.
Startling him.
Natsu quickly waved his hands in front of her, thinking she had gone completely mad,"You'kay Luce? You're acting creepy and weird." She giggled on hearing it and soon enveloped him in a tight hug, taking him by surprise.
His tone softened as he wrapped his arms around the blonde, whose shaking was decreasing. He couldn't help but ask,"Now that I'm not dating anyone, can we have a sleepover?"
He was waiting for her to reply which never came. Her body was feeling warmer than usual and Natsu couldn't help but ask,"You okay in there Luce?"
"Lucy!"
The moment he broke the hug to look at her, she collapsed in his arms, her face red and eyes closed.
He quickly put her on the bed and mumbled for a thermometer, giving a relieved sigh when he found one in the first aid box. Quickly putting the device in her mouth, he covered her in blankets, covering her shivering form.
How on earth did she get sick? He couldn't feel her high temperature, thanks to his own body temperature which was always high, but how could he have not noticed signs of weakness and red nose?
He knew why. Because he wasn't looking at her. Because she looked tempting. He wanted her, but not at the cost of losing their friendship. Raping Lucy, he would never do that!
According to Juvia, Lucy had left a long time back, in the rain. Is that why she came down with a fever?
He heard her groan slightly and he quickly examined the temperature. 101° F.
"You weirdo," he pressed his forehead against hers,"Is this how we're gonna celebrate our victory!"
"Natsu..." She groaned as she gripped his hand, taking shallow breaths,"You should leave or." She began taking deep breaths again,"You'll get sick too."
He chuckled as he put away a strand of her hair behind her ear, adding,"What about a no? I'm not gonna leave."
"But-"
"Hey, come on. Its still raining! I just can't walk such a long distance!' Natsu whined again.
"Fine."
"Tell me, you wanna eat something?" He asked as he saw her breathing heavily. The temperature was still rising!
She was forcing herself to listen to him. His words came more like a whisper, enveloping her in sleep,"I'll just sleep."
"Okay! I gotta grab some sleep too!" Natsu grinned but before he could get into the bed, Lucy pushed him off with all her strength,"You will get sick if you stay too close, Natsu."
"I don't care!"
Though she was sick, she could feel her heart doing a long flip. "I-idiot! Sleep on the couch!"
He gave her a cute pout before making his way over the couch, whining,"I need a soft bed."
Hearing no reply from her, he glanced back and found her deep into sleep. Chuckling a little, he lied down on the couch, whispering to himself,"Goodnight Luce."
.
Natsu felt like he was swimming in a pool, filled with strawberry flavoured juice mixed with a distinct fruity smell. Due to his heightened sense of smell, he took long, sharp breathes to be sure. The scent was too strong and good to be a dream.
Groggily, he opened his eyes, trying to pinpoint the location of the smell.
Lucy was pressed to his chest, her face just inches away from his face.
He scrambled away, landing on his butt as he tried to cover up his blush from her. How the heck did he end up in her bed? Had he walked in his sleep? If Lucy would have discovered him, sleeping with her on her bed, she would surely Lucy kick him out.
And then he remembered why he hadn't left in the first place. Taking a deep breath, he went closer and placed a hand on her forehead. Her temperature was a bit down but she still had fever.
"Looks like I'm in charge!" He grinned to himself and dashed toward the kitchen, knocking a chair in the process. But since Lucy was sick, he had no idea how to make her something to eat. Then he remembered.
He ran out, directly to Fairy Tail and ordered some soup. When Mira asked who it was for, he grinned, saying,"Ain't telling ya!"
As he was returning home, Lucy's home, he quickly texted Wendy,''Gonna stay at a friend's place. Take care of Happy.''
Wendy replied him almost immediately,"Say Hi to Lucy san!"
He could feel the warmth rising to his cheeks on reading the text. How did she know?
Well, that doesn't matter!
As he entered the apartment, he found Lucy still asleep and tried to wake her up. The girl shifted, covering her face with her sheet but he yanked them off her, chuckling,"You can sleep after eating a little."
"I don't want to!" She complained, her face still red and flushed.
"No can do!" Natsu sat down beside her, tried to feed her with a spoon only to spill it over her clothes. The blonde groaned but didn't have the energy to yell at him. Natsu was messy, what was she expecting?
Natsu went to the kitchen to get something to eat and ended up breaking eggs on the floor. How did Mira cook so flawlessly? Why on earth did cooking hate him so much?
.
Zeref leaned on the doorframe, watching everyone with an amused face. The other people were staring at him in disbelief, some openly protesting while others groaning in displeasure.
August, the oldest of the group, coughed to calm everyone down.
"I believe that Zeref has a reason behind everything he is doing now," he turned to look at Zeref and nodded,"We shouldn't question his Majesty."
Brandi, now irritated, asked,"But why now?"
Zeref took a step forward, instantly silencing everyone,"I'm tired of running away. This is going to be the last time."
"But!" Eileen interjected only to be stopped by Zeref,"I've made my mind. You all can either continue this business or leave this hell and get a better life. I've choosen my path."
August, along with everyone, bowed down before him,"Yes Sir. We understand."
Zeref then went out from the room, pulled out his cellphone and quickly send a text which was lying dormant in his phone for months.
Dear Natsu,
I know you hate me but I can't. You're my little brother whom I love so much. Just meet me once in Crocus, just for the sake of the blood relationship we have. I promise I will not disturb you again. ~ Zeref Dragneel
.
The text sent shiver down his spine. Zeref wanted to meet him? After what he did? No matter how sorry he was now, he couldn't just bring his wife back from dead. No one could. Mavis wasn't coming back. And neither was Igneel.
Deciding to settle the score once and for all, he sent a quick reply,"I hope you stick to your word. Will be there in two days."
Then he quickly sent Wendy a text,"Keep Happy with you for a fortnight. I won't be back before that."
He thanked God when Wendy just replied with an okay.
He heard something coming from Lucy's bedroom and recalled why was he at her home in the first place. Leave it to him to get distracted.
He sweatdropped on seeing her trying to get out of bed, swearing to herself. He was leaning against the doorframe, smirking to himself when she tried to stand only to lose her balance and sway. But before she could hit the ground, he caught her by her waist, smirking to himself,"You're nuts, you know that. Where are ya running off to?"
She flushed,"I need to pee."
"Let me help.." He was cut off when Lucy shoved him away, embarrassed,"Don't say things like that, Pervert."
He crooked his head, giving her a glare,"You were gonna fall, Luce and you can't take a step on your own. You need a little help."
She crossed her arms defensively,"I don't."
He groaned,"You know what?" He scooped her in his arms as he carried her to the bathroom, trying to ignore her whining and punches on his back.
Lucy was beyond flushed. She began hitting him with all her might as he was nearing the bathroom,"Put me down!"
He smirked,"Nops. And stop, those hurts!"
She screamed again,"Then put me down!"
He gently put her down, making her sit comfortably on the toilet. She crossed her arms defensively over ber chest, glaring at him. Natsu gave her a bored look,"You wanted to pee right?"
"Not when you're in the bathroom!" She yelled again.
"Geez!" He moved out, closing the door behind him,"Call me if you feel dizzy or need help."
Ignoring how creepy that sounded, she grinned, though he couldn't see her,"Pervert."
.
The room was almost empty, except for two souls sitting awkwardly in each other's presence. One was president of the student's council, Erza Scarlet with head of theatre arts sitting across her, scribbling something in a notebook.
"Geez, Erza," Jellal chuckled,"Its just 28th November. Why are you planning for school Christmas party so early?"
Erza, now snapped out of her thoughts, sighed,"I want to make sure that everything is okay."
"As usual," Jellal looked down at his notes once again,"So, its gonna be a masquerade party?"
The scarlet haired girl's eyes lit up,"Yes. Wouldn't that be amazing.''
Her pleased expression was one of the things Jellal loved the most. Erza was a tough girl, could take on any person in a fight but there was a feminine side which she didn't mind showing. Jellal loved every aspect of her character.
When they first met as kids, Erza was just five years old, living alone wherever she found shelter. That was where he found her, while looking for his mother. He was the only son of the Fernandez and always grew up in extreme care. When his mother died of cardiac arrest, he was just a four year old child, who believed his mother was playing hide and seek with him.
He found her, looking at his house with soft, gloomy eyes, looking starved and malnourished. Yet, she refused to just accept food from him.
And that was where their friendship began.
Seeing Jellal finally happy, his father decided to take care of Erza. And decided to send them in elementary school together.
That was where Erza became Erza Scarlet.
"Whats your name?" Simon, a classmate asked her.
Jellal smiled warmly when Erza was making new friends.
"Its Erza... Just Erza.." The girl looked away, smiling sadly to herself. And that was when Jellal softly patted her head, announcing,"Your hair is so pretty. Why don't we call you Erza Scarlet?"
She smiled again,"I love it. I'm Erza Scarlet. Scarlet."
He chuckled again,"Now, I'll never forget you."
That was twelve years ago. Now they were seventeen, and Erza was working to pay for herself. When they were kids, the Fernandez supported her financially, gave her a place to stay. When she hit her teenage years, she wanted to make sure she could pay for herself. She didn't want to be a burden and thus, moved out.
Though Jellal's father agreed to stop paying her bills, he couldn't help but make sure that she lived not too far away from their house thus got her an apartment close to their house and visited her every month. Erza had that effect on everyone.
Jellal was snapped back to his thoughts when Erza punched him slightly on his arm. "Yeah?" He looked away, flustered.
"So, what do you think, should we put mistletoes at the party?" She asked again.
Jellal whispered out,"Sure. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Realising he had accidentally whispered it out aloud, he slammed his hand over his mouth, eyes wide open. Erza was blushing madly, her face rivalling the colour of her hair. Jellal cursed himself, why was he so stupid?
"I didn't..." He was cuf off when Erza quickly asked,"You... Do you mean it?"
Well, every word. So, he nodded,"Yes."
"Then pick me up on a date sooner, Jellal.. It took you twelve years to just ask me out."
The girl rose up, moving out to hide her red face. Jellal, now more confident, called behind her,"Wear something scarlet coloured. I love the colour on you."
"I will."
.
"Natsu..." Lucy whined when she felt his palm on her head, feeling her temperature,''You should get some sleep too."
The salmon haired boy yawned loudly, saying,"I'm all right. Gotta see if you're okay."
Her heart warmed up at his words. He was a man of actions, always jumped head on in any situations but at times of need, he was one of the best person to be around. Not because he was comfortable to be around but because he was a great listener and consoler.
"My fever is almost down Natsu," she shook her head at his stubbornness. The boy gave her a glare,"You're nuts. Why would you go running away like that?"
"I had no idea it was raining outside," she looked away, embarrassed.
Natsu, who had no idea what was going inside Lucy's head, sighed,''Weirdo. Hey, this disease isn't contagious. Right?"
Lucy facepalmed. So much for being a good man. She barked out, making him cower near the foot of the bed,"You're the weird one here!"
He chuckled on seeing her flustered face and pulled the blanket over her body,''Get well soon."
''I will!"
He was running his fingers through her hair to get rid of all the tangles and calm her down. Soon, he noticed that she had fallen asleep.
Grinning to himself, he swiftly placed a kiss on her forehead, grinning widely when she smiled in her sleep.
As he tried to get up, he found her fingers tightly gripping his scarf. He tried to free her fingers from it but she didn't let go. Sighing to himself, he began unwrapping his scarf only to stop when Lucy gripped his hand in her sleep, muttering,"So warm."
He looked away, flustered at her compliment and instead of removing his scarf, quietly laid down beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist before falling asleep.
He didn't understand when and how she became an important part of his life. Was it because Lucy reminded him of Mavis? Both are kind, beautiful and definitely blonde. Natsu was just eight when Mavis was killed but he definitely remembered how much she cared for him and took care of the Dragneels.
Natsu shook his head, he couldn't fall in love with Lucy, not after hiding his family secret for so long. She knew the Natsu who was carefree and reckless not the one who hr was hiding from everyone. Though many knew about it, they never brought it up, the past was kept buried in the past.
But now after receiving the message from Zeref, he wondered how long he could run from his life. Even now, he had made one thing clear.
He would never allow Lucy to experience the result of his faults.
.
I think that was a good place to stop. I know, I know, I should be studying but trust me, I was so bored that I couldn't help but type this. Hopefully, I can add a new chapter before April. And on April, I'm gonna work on a new Fairy Tail multi chaptered story. I've read a bunch of stories where Lucy leaves with Nashi.
There's the twist. This time, Natsu is gonna bring Nashi up! I just can't wait to write it!
MacroTalelove- yup! Though I wanted them to beat up Raven Tail, beating them like this counts too, right?
Guest- Hopefully you're right. Thanks for the information though.
SapphireOfDreams- Yup!
Mignonjoli- yeah, Navia is just not my ship ;)
SSTrans- yeah, Natsu's actions aren't that hard to figure out!
IronicMelody23- i hope your heart calmed down after seeing this! Omg!
Matt427- thanks! I appreciate it!
holaanora- thanks for the review. Yup, that was my plan from the beginning; I'm glad you liked it.
kingOfClan/ sparkling pearl/ blurdragon- your reviews are much appreciated! Thanks a ton
