Happy Wednesday, guys! I'm just going to accept the fact that the writer gods have designated Wednesdays for me to update, haha.
Updating every week feels so good, I've missed it a lot. It makes me feel like I'm being productive once again!
So yes, we have finally reached the last part of the fic that makes me want to cry/scream all at once. I'm so excited, you have no idea.
Also, can I just mention how much I love reading your reviews? All of you guys are so different from one another and you all have such different thoughts and opinions, it's amazing! I love hearing all your thoughts, so please continue to review!
And this fic is almost at 600 follows! That's so many oh my goodness :')
Thank you guys so so much for reading! I can't stress enough how grateful and happy I am. Really, thank you.
See you next week! ~
For the next couple of days, Natsu sickness doesn't become better or worse—it's at an aggravating standstill. He has random coughing fits, constant sniffing, and his voice is abnormally raspy. His lips have permanently become chapped. For the first time in his life, Natsu has a cold.
Surprisingly, his mood doesn't change in the slightest. He remains as the cheery boy who has more fun than he should as he teases me. If I were him, I would be in bed for days, not wanting to talk to anyone. Natsu, on the other hand, wants to do everything and anything.
"Natsu, you need to rest," I tell him as sternly as I can while he aimlessly wanders around the apartment.
"Do I have to?" he sends me a pout. "I'm tired of resting all day, Luce. I never thought I would say this, but I want to go to school again."
"I don't think the school would allow it." I send him an apologetic smile. "Just keep resting and taking your medicine, okay? You'll get better ten times faster that way."
"I'll go back to resting in a bit. Can we go on a walk outside first?" he nearly pleads, his puppy eyes on full effect mode. I release a defeated sigh.
"It's a little cold, so put on a sweater," I command. "We'll only be out for ten minutes."
"Yes!" he cheers. Sprinting into the room and returning with a sweater I haven't seen since the winter, we head outside with Happy curiously following us.
Since it's only the start of spring, the second the sun is gone, Magnolia feels just as chilly as winter. I'm about to tell Natsu that we should probably go back since it's too cold, but after glancing at his serene expression, I keep my thoughts to myself. His eyes are closed as he deeply inhales.
"It feels like it's been years since I've been outside," he breathes out.
"It's only been four days," I say.
"Four very long days," he replies, grasping my hand and brushing his lips across the back of it. I'm able to feel the feverish heat radiating off of him. "If I feel better tomorrow, can I go to school with you?"
I anxiously bite my lip. With how he looks, feels, and sounds, it doesn't seem like he'll be getting better anytime soon. But knowing I need to look at the bright side of things, I begin to nod.
"Everyone at school misses you," I admit. "We all want you to feel better as soon as possible."
"I'm going to try my best tonight," he states firmly.
"Do your best," I smile at his determination.
It's clear that Natsu doesn't want to go back inside the apartment, but after an hour, I know he has to return sooner or later. Helping him take off his sweater, I pause when he starts to remove his shirt. It doesn't matter how many times I see him shirtless; it'll always be enough for me to hesitate.
Although he may be sick, we still sleep in the same bed together. I don't care if he passes it on to me. If it'll lessen his symptoms, then I'll do anything.
"Goodnight," I whisper as we lie in bed later that night.
He sniffs before clearing his throat. "I love you, Luce. Thanks for taking care of me."
My breath hitches. It's been weeks since I've heard those words. Did he say them on accident? Or is he half asleep and doesn't know what he's saying?
"I'll always be here to make sure you're okay," I promise softly. "And I love you, too." Even if it was a mistake, I want to say it back. I forgot how much warmth the words create in my chest.
With my eyes fluttering close, I listen to Natsu's uneven breathing. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, he'll be just as healthy as he used to be again. If not, we'll simply have to spend the next day trying all over again.
For what feels like the first time in forever, I'm woken up by a pair of lips on mine the next morning.
"Guess who feels good as new again?" Natsu greets me with a grin.
"No way," my eyes widen in surprise. "Are you really?"
"Yep, I can breathe through both of my nostrils again! And it gets better—I haven't coughed once yet!"
"You really did it," I say in disbelief, pushing myself up from the bed. "How'd you do it?"
"Humans never tell their secrets," he sends me a wink. "Come on, let's go to school!" He tugs me out of the bed, not giving me the chance to react.
"We still need to eat breakfast," I mention while having no choice but to follow him. "What do you want to eat?"
"Pancakes!" he declares.
"Coming right up," I respond with an amused smile. It's been months since we've had pancakes for breakfast, and I'm glad today is the day we decide to make them.
Eating our breakfast together, I'm absolutely relieved that Natsu sounds just like he used to again. I've never seen him so thrilled to be going to school. He even leaves me behind quite a few steps because he's too eager to be there.
With Natsu, everything suddenly has so much more color as compared to the days when I went to school alone. The morning sky, the bare cherry blossom trees, and everyone on the streets—had they always been so bright?
I eventually catch up with him after he decides to wait for me outside the door to our classroom. The moment we enter the classroom, we're met with shouts loud enough to shake the entire school.
"You're finally back!" Lisanna proclaims.
"Welcome back, Natsu!" Levy cheers. "We've missed you!"
"Juvia is glad Natsu is better again!" Juvia chimes in.
"I hope you rested as much as I told you to," Erza adds with a gentle smile. "Welcome back."
"Thanks, everyone," Natsu sends them a large grin. "Where are the guys?"
"Oh, they went to the vending machines," Levy answers. "You can probably still catch them if you—"
"And he's gone," I giggle with my hair waving in the air at Natsu's immediate escape. "Good morning, guys."
"Good morning!" they reply while we sit at random desks before the bell rings.
"It's really about time Natsu came back." Lisanna places her chin on her palms. "It felt lonely here without him."
"You can say that again," Levy agrees with a nod. "Isn't it hard to believe that there was a time when he wasn't here with us?"
"It feels as if he's always been here with us," Erza confirms.
"I'm glad you all think that way, too," I smile at them. If Natsu wasn't here, our group surely wouldn't be as close as it is now. He's the reason why we've all stayed together like this. I can't help but wonder if he is aware of how important he is to us.
Weirdly enough, we're not the only ones who are glad Natsu is back. Even teachers give him a formal welcome back. It's probably due to the fact he flawlessly completed all his makeup work, but even then, it's enough for everyone to realize how much of a presence Natsu has.
Throughout the day, I watch him to make sure he's feeling better like he claims. To my surprise, not once do I hear him let out a subtle cough or even a little sniff. The tip of his nose is slightly pink, but that's it; he's truly back to his healthy self again.
"We have to celebrate today!" Levy exclaims after the day is over. "Let's go to Fairy Tail!"
"Someone has to pay for my meal as a welcome back," Natsu says, only receiving snickers and scoffs in response.
"Yeah, right, Flame-brain. We might have wanted you to come back again, but we didn't want you back that much," Gray chuckles.
"Maybe if you're gone for another week we'll think about it," Gajeel sneers.
"We can buy you a dessert, maybe," Lisanna suggests.
"Small dessert," Erza corrects smoothly.
"And by that she means the cheapest dessert on the menu," I state.
"Fine by me," Natsu responds with a shrug.
Just like everything else, it feels like ages since we've been to Fairy Tail. It may have been a few weeks ago, yet with everything that has happened, it simply doesn't feel that way.
"To Natsu feeling better!" Levy raises her cup in the air, lightly tapping them against everyone else's.
"To Natsu feeling better!" we repeat.
Despite it being only a week that Natsu has been gone, I instantly notice how much more time he is spending with the boys now. It's no mistake—Natsu has finally squeezed his way into not only my life, but also everyone else's life, too.
We don't realize how long we've been at Fairy Tail until Mira stands at our table with a polite smile. "We are closing in five minutes."
"It's already midnight?!" Levy's eyes widen. "When did that happen?"
"I've been trying to tell you for the past hour," Gajeel rolls his eyes.
"I thought you knew," Natsu remarks.
"I just wanted to see how long we were actually going to stay here," Lisanna giggles. "Hey, Mira, are there any free desserts left that Natsu can have?"
"We actually have a cake that didn't get picked up," Mira reveals. "Is that okay?"
"Of course!" the entire group answers simultaneously.
"A whole cake for me? You shouldn't have," Natsu grins.
"We didn't," Erza shuts him down with no hesitation. "You'll only be getting one slice."
"Come on! Give me a least three!" he protests, only having us wave him off in response.
And with that, we stay at Fairy Tail longer than we should, eating so much cake that we'll surely regret. But in that moment, I wouldn't have minded if time had just stopped and we'd be like this forever.
I'm expecting to be woken up by my favorite kisses the next morning. I can already feel Natsu's feather-like lips pressing against mine. However, that's not what wakes me up. Instead, I'm woken up by the disheartening sound of his sniffing and coughing once again.
"It's back again," he sighs heavily in frustration. "Do I have to stay home?"
"I'm sorry," I whisper, reaching over to him to gently massage his head. "I can stay here with you today, if you want."
"No, you have to go school," he shakes his head. By his grimace, I can tell his head is throbbing in pain with even the slightest movements. He probably wouldn't be able to make it to the living room if he tried. "I'll be here when you come back," he assures.
"Okay," I hesitantly accept. Without shifting the bed around too much, I leave to start getting ready for school. After I make the soup that I thought wasn't going to make for a very long time, I peek inside my dark bedroom.
"I'm leaving now," I say softly.
"Have a good day," he responds hoarsely.
My heart sinks while I close the door as quietly as I can. Just the sight of Natsu is devastating, and it doesn't make it any better that I have no choice but to watch. The only thing that's somewhat relieving is that he'll be resting all day, so he should feel better once I get back.
"Where's Natsu?" Lisanna immediately asks when I arrive to school.
"He's sick again," I answer plainly, walking straight to my desk without another word.
"Again?" Levy repeats incredulously. "He was fine yesterday! How can he be—"
"Levy," Erza interrupts sharply.
Levy pauses, sharing a look with Erza before clearing her throat to fix her tone. "Maybe he ate something he wasn't supposed to yesterday."
"Maybe," I say with the same amount of disinterest.
"Has Natsu gone to the doctor yet?" Juvia asks.
I turn to Juvia with large eyes but quickly fix my expression before they notice. The question sparks thousands of thoughts into that I hadn't even considered. Is Natsu sick enough to go to a doctor?
Can he even go to the doctor?
"H-He's going today," I force myself to say after a few seconds.
"Hopefully he can get some stronger medicine, then," Levy states optimistically. "Everything will be okay, I'm sure of it!"
I'm about to respond, but I'm cut off by the first bell of the day. As everyone shuffles to their seats, Lisanna leans towards my desk with a low voice.
"Do you think something is happening with Natsu's program?"
Once again, even more thoughts surface into my mind. Is it even possible for his program to malfunction? Did he know this could happen?
"I don't want to think about it," I let out a deep sigh that I wasn't even aware I was holding in. "Can we not think about it?"
"Y-Yeah, okay," Lisanna nods slowly before returning to her desk.
All I want is for the school day to come to an end. A part of me wants to leave during lunch, but knowing that Natsu wouldn't want me to do that, I decide to stay. He probably wouldn't want me to worry about him too much either, but I can't help it. He's in my mind every second of the day.
I don't waste a second to head home once the day is over. Every part of my body is trembling, even the tips of my fingers. I have no idea what to expect as I hastily unlock the front door and enter the apartment.
Every day, Natsu is always in the midst of bouncing up from the couch to greet me as I open the door. But today, that's not what happens. Today, I'm met with him lying on the couch, blankly staring at the ceiling.
"I'm back," I announce, taking small, tentative steps towards him. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright," he answers. His voice is still as nasally as it was this morning.
"What are you looking at?" I tilt my head back to the ceiling to see if I'm missing anything.
"The ceiling," he replies.
"Why are you looking at the ceiling?"
"Why not?"
"How long have you been looking up there?"
"I can't really remember."
My stomach flips as I view his vacant expression. Something isn't right. Natsu isn't right.
"Have you eaten anything today?" I question, going to the kitchen to see if the bowl I left this morning is still there. The heavy feeling in my chest subsides slightly once I see that it's not on the counter anymore.
Natsu doesn't say a word while I cluelessly wander the apartment. The atmosphere of the apartment is incredibly uncomfortable; all it does is make my unease increase. I'm too afraid to sit next to him, so I stay in the kitchen until I can't stand the way I'm acting.
"How about watching some TV?" I suggest casually, striding into the living room. Sitting down on the floor near the couch, I begin to flip through the channels. I steal a glimpse behind my shoulder to find him still gazing up at the ceiling. "Natsu, when was the last time you played video games?"
"I don't want to play video games right now," he responds.
"Okay, that's fine," I nod in understanding, forbidding myself to act the way I'm really feeling. "How about reading? Do you want me to read to you?"
"If you want."
Not wasting this opportunity, I dash into my room to retrieve my absolute favorite book. I've read it so many times, I doubt I'll even need to look at the pages.
"This is my favorite book, so you better pay attention," I warn once I've come back. My heart twinges with hope as he shifts his head to the side to look at me.
I can't keep from glancing at him every couple of pages to see if he's still listening. Each time I look up and find him staring right at me, I receive another boost of confidence. Natsu doesn't want to be entertained—he simply wants to listen.
"Tell me when you're ready for me to stop," I tell him after we're halfway into the book. I can't believe he's actually been paying attention this entire time.
"No, keep going," he urges. "I want to keep hearing your voice."
"Okay," a small smile peeks out of me as I return to the book. I continue reading; he still doesn't say anything when I only have ten pages left to read. Since it's my favorite book, I'm not able to control my tears as I reach the end. As I read the last word of the book, a thumb brushes my tears away from my cheeks.
"Why are you crying?" Natsu chuckles.
"B-Because it's my favorite book," I explain through my glassy eyes. It isn't until I notice the position he's in when my eyes widen. "You moved!"
"Yeah, so what?" he raises a curious brow.
"You haven't moved for the past three hours," I say hesitantly. "How are you feeling?"
"Weirdly enough, a little better," he answers in realization. "There's something about your voice that made me feel better."
"Maybe I'm your medicine," I blurt out before I can stop myself.
"That's a nice way of putting it," he smirks, pulling his hand away from my cheek and going back to his original position on the couch. "Do you have anything else to read?"
"Of course!" I exclaim. "I'll be right back."
Returning with a stack of books, I set them down on the coffee table with a grin. "Which one first?"
"Anything as long as you're the one reading," he replies.
I nod eagerly, placing a pillow on the floor so I can comfortably sit down. I lean against the side of the couch where Natsu's head is so he can look over my shoulder and follow as I read if he wants to.
For the next couple of hours, all I do is read, read, and read to him. I don't care if I get tired of reading or become so dehydrated that I need to gulp down water—this is for Natsu. I'm going to read until he's okay again.
Unfortunately, I don't realize I've fallen asleep until I'm waking up the next morning in a tight embrace. By the leathery surface, I must be on the couch. Opening my eyes, I lock eyes with Natsu's dark ones.
"Please, don't tell me I fell asleep mid-sentence," I whisper.
"You did." He sends me half a smile. "Good morning."
"Morning. How do you feel?" I ask.
"The same," he shrugs. "I'm still too sick to go to school."
"Let me stay home today," I nearly beg. "It'll just be one day."
"Only one day," he states. "You can't afford to be randomly missing school."
"I'll get Lisanna to bring us the makeup work," I guarantee, feeling fulfilled that I'll finally be staying home with him. To express my gratitude, I lean in and grant him a tender peck on the cheek.
I know exactly what I'll be doing all day with him—reading. However, it doesn't take much for me to figure out that my voice doesn't have the same effect as it did yesterday. Natsu doesn't move an inch for five hours; his eyes are solely focused on the ceiling.
I don't notice how lethargic he is until now. His energy level is nonexistent. He's only interested in my voice, but even then, it's hard to tell if he's truly interested or if he just wants some background noise.
I feel as though the only option we have left is to take him to the doctor. Yet I can't stop myself from wondering if he would be accepted. Because although I'd like to think that Natsu is human, there is still that what if. That what if is what keeps me from making an appointment.
After Natsu has officially been on the couch for 24 hours, I urge him to at least walk around the apartment for a few minutes. I try not to wince too much at his pained expression while he pushes himself up.
"Who knew I would feel so weak after not walking for a day?" he mutters, having to drape an arm across my shoulders for support.
"Take one step at a time," I reply smoothly. "There's no rush."
Natsu is already sweating and we've only reached the kitchen. But I'm not letting him give up and return to the couch. We're going to at least walk halfway around the apartment.
"T-That felt good," he pants out, falling back onto the couch once we've finally made it.
"We're going to be doing that every day from now on," I say firmly. "It's not good for your body if you lie down all day."
"Yes, doctor," he smirks slightly, having me stick my tongue out at him.
Despite his apathy, there are still glimpses of Natsu's teasing that appear every so often. I cling on to each and every one of those moments.
I pause when I begin to hear knocks on the door. As I unlock it, I crack it open enough to where I can slide out without the inside being seen.
"Hey, Lisanna," I greet her quickly. "Do you have the makeup work?"
"Yeah, here it is," she hands it to me with a skeptical look. "So, why didn't you come today?"
"I wanted to take care of Natsu," I answer. "Thanks for giving me the work! I'll see you—"
"How's he feeling?" she asks before I can end the conversation.
"He's still sick," I respond simply. "I don't know if I'll be back tomorrow, so if I don't show up, can you get me the makeup work again?"
"Of course," she nods. "Is Natsu—"
"I really need to go," I cut her off, already going back inside the apartment. "Thanks again! See you later."
"See you." are the last words I hear before I shut the door. I release a heavy sigh, frowning at the rather large stack of papers. I curiously leaf through them, my breath hitching once I find three sheets of papers with messages scribbled all across it.
"Natsu, everyone left messages for you!" I smile widely, hurrying towards him to show him. Sitting next to him, I show him the sheets of paper.
"This is awesome." His eyes travel across the messages. His lips curve into his own smile. "I didn't think they cared this much."
"Of course we do," I confirm. "We always have."
"Can you read to me again now?" he asks.
"Okay," I nod. It isn't until I glance at my books when I freeze. "Natsu, I've already read all my books."
"I don't mind if you read them again," he guarantees.
"No, wait, I have an idea," I mention. Reaching for my phone, I turn it on and scroll through some articles, seeing if any of them would interest him. And before we know it, I'm reading news reports, magazine articles, and interviews to him. With this, Natsu will surely learn something new every day.
Again, I don't realize I've fallen asleep until the next morning. I don't even need to ask. By Natsu's expression, I know I fell asleep mid-sentence again.
I'm about to tell him that I'm not going to school again though after glancing at the clock, I don't need to. School started an hour ago. I'm not sure if he purposely didn't wake me up, but I'm glad he didn't.
"I found a good article to read," I say later that day.
"What is it?" he asks.
"Apparently, there are seven people in the world that look alike," I reveal. "Do you know what that means? There are seven Gray's and Gajeel's out there in the world."
"That's horrible," Natsu grumbles, causing me to stifle a laugh. "But that also means there are seven people that look like you, too."
"Is that good or bad?" I raise a brow.
"I'm lucky to have found one of them," he replies.
It doesn't take long until my face lights up into a bright crimson. I steal a glimpse of him, finding him with a satisfied grin.
"W-What about you?" I stammer. "Do you think there are seven people that look like you, too?"
"That'd be cool," he muses. "I don't think they'd look as good as me, though."
"Right, because you all don't look the same," I giggle. "Alright, it's time to walk now."
Allowing him to use me as support, I make sure he steps foot in every part of the apartment. Since there's no rush, I don't mind when we take short breaks. We have all the time in the world to use.
We'll just be using that time to try and have Natsu be healthy again.
As the days continue, it's gradually becoming harder and harder to keep a genuine smile on my face. One step forward that Natsu takes only leads to ten steps back. It's as if everything we do is only making his sickness worse.
I've completely forgotten about school, so I stay home with him every day. Yet the dull atmosphere that surrounds not only the apartment, but Natsu as well, is suffocating. I didn't know that taking care of him would become so taxing.
Despite how I feel, I don't let my true feelings show. This isn't about me—it's about Natsu becoming healthy again. That's it.
However, it doesn't take much for him to catch on to my feelings. Lately, he's been so focused on the ceiling, he hasn't been paying attention to what I'm feeling. But the moment there's a shift, he senses it instantly.
"Am I not making you happy anymore?" he asks.
My thumb scrolling through my phone freezes, my entire body becoming stiff. Clicking it off, I set my phone down and take a deep breath. I'm not able to look him in the eyes. My heart pounds against my chest.
"I'm always happy with you, no matter what," I respond softly, eyes staring at my lap. "It's just… I wish I knew why this was happening to you. I feel like everything that I'm doing isn't doing anything."
Natsu reaches over to me, lightly taking my chin and forcing me to look at him. "You're doing all that you can for me," he assures with a small smile. It isn't until his smile fades when he opens his mouth. "But maybe, I have a time span. You know, like all humans do, there will be a day when I die."
I blink several times in response, his words not registering. I slowly begin to shake my head. "W-What are you saying? Do you really think that you're going to di—"
"I'm not saying anything," he interrupts me at the last second. "It's just a thought."
"I don't like those thoughts," I mumble.
"Neither do I, but they have to be considered."
I nod reluctantly, not liking the nauseating feeling inside my chest. All it does is make me want to go under all the covers in my bed and block out the whole world.
"I'll go make you some more soup," I say, standing up from the couch and shuffling towards the kitchen.
"Put extra hot sauce in there, please," he requests.
"You got it," I reply.
And with the apartment being entirely silent, I make Natsu's soup, hoping that the extra hot sauce may just be the reason why someday his ten steps back are soon reduced to five instead.