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Chapter 25: Recovery
Natsu opened his eyes to see his boyfriend sleeping in front of him, their hands clasped. Happy slept in between them, claiming to be there to stop anything indecent as they went to sleep last night, but the fire mage knew his friend was there more because he wanted to be, and less because he felt like he needed to be.
There was a knock on the front door. Was that what woke him up, or was this the first one? Gray started stirring, but seeing as the ice-make wizard and the blue Exceed were still sleeping, the dragon slayer slowly got out of bed, not disturbing the other two. He hurried to the door as fast and quietly as he could, hoping to get there before another knock.
Luckily, he got there in time, and as he started to unlock the door, he wondered who could be there so early. Opening the door, he saw Erza standing there in her casual outfit, her casual armor. Seeing her worried expression, he exited the apartment and closed the door quickly, not wanting their conversation to disturb the two still sleeping.
"Did something happen?", the pink-haired boy asked, not sure why she looked worried, yet he didn't feel like there was any life-threatening danger.
The expression on the red-haired girl's face changed from worried to embarrassed and ashamed before she spoke. "I may have done something stupid.", she said quietly.
The fire mage couldn't imagine what the requip mage could have done to have her so worried. They weren't on a job, so she couldn't have messed it up. Besides, if she did something stupid as she said, then why would she need to tell him, and why would she need to tell it the first thing in the morning. "What did you do?", he asked in a consoling voice, letting her know to take as much time as she needed.
"The night we arrived from Crocus…", Erza finally said after half a minute of silence. "After you and Gray left and we entered the guild, someone asked where you were.", she explained, then looking guiltily into his eyes, tears starting to form, she continued. "I blurted out that you went on a date. I'm sorry."
Was that what all the whispers were about the previous day as he and Gray entered the guild? Was that what "She was out for revenge.", and "She just did it for Lucy" meant? As far as the dragon slayer remembered, there wasn't anyone who took it seriously. Now that he knew what she said, he knew that people thought she did it because he wouldn't go out with Lucy. And the red-haired girl didn't seem this affected by it yesterday, so why was she crying now?
"Nobody took you seriously.", he said, trying to calm her down.
It took her some time to calm down, but she still looked ashamed as she spoke. "You're right, nobody took me seriously, not after Lucy said I did it because you wouldn't go out with her." The celestial wizard herself told everyone he wouldn't go out with her!? "But, apparently, Juvia overheard that you would stay with Gray, and now people are wondering why you would go to a dinner with Gray, why you two would go on jobs together, why you would come to the guild together…"
"It was bound to happen sooner or later.", the pink-haired boy said, knowing that people would start to wonder about that. "Do you want to come in?", he asked, hearing his boyfriend and his friend talking inside.
"Isn't Gray sleeping?", Erza wondered since he exited the apartment and closed the door.
"Not anymore.", the fire mage said, opening the door and motioning for her to enter.
They entered the apartment and heard a voice coming from the bedroom. "Who was it?", the ice-make wizard asked.
The red-haired girl looked much better than when Natsu first saw her, so he wasn't surprised by her words. "I hope you're not doing anything stupid Gray.", she said in a threatening voice. Since she used her threats as a joke for some time now, the dragon slayer couldn't figure if they ever were really threats.
Despite him and the raven-haired boy knowing she was just joking at this point, they still responded like they did for years, probably just a habit now. His boyfriend, wanting to convince the requip mage he wasn't overexerting himself quietly asked Happy to carry him to the living room. That seemed to satisfy Erza, as she went and sat on a couch next to Gray.
"How are you feeling?", she asked concerned.
"Like I only have one arm to use.", the ice-make wizard answered jokingly, then said seriously. "The pain's not that bad right now, and I still haven't taken my pain medication this morning, so I think I'm getting better."
"That's great to hear.", the red-haired girl said content. "And in a few days, Wendy can take care of your arm and ribs."
"Yeah.", the raven-haired boy replied. "So, why did you come here?", he asked Erza, but it was Natsu who answered.
"Apparently, Juvia said to someone that I'm staying with you, but she forgot to mention that you didn't want your girlfriend to see you looking like this.", he said, indicating his boyfriend's body. The two boys chuckled, as the red-haired girl and the blue cat watched them, not knowing what they were laughing about, or what the dragon slayer was talking about. "And people are starting to notice that we're spending more time together than we used to.", he added.
"Maybe we should just tell them.", Gray said with a conflicting look on his face. Natsu was glad to hear that his boyfriend didn't mind others knowing about them, especially since he didn't know what the ice-make wizard's stand was after Lucy laughed at them, but he knew why he had that look on his face.
"Oh, you intend to walk into the guildhall and announce it to everyone?", the fire mage asked mockingly, knowing there was no way either of them would do that. I seemed like the raven-haired boy hadn't thought of that, seeing as his face paled at the thought.
"Maybe,", the ice-make wizard said after a few seconds, looking at the girl sitting next to him. "maybe Erza could tell everyone."
"Me?", the red-haired girl asked confused, then she continued, surprised, after a few seconds. "Wait! You want me to tell everyone?" She didn't look like she was unwilling to do it, she just seemed surprised by it.
If this were a normal situation, Natsu would rather be there, but he knew that people would laugh, wouldn't believe it, so he decided that it was better that they not be there. "Yea, he's right. We don't have to be there to listen to them laughing.", he said.
"Are you sure?", the requip mage asked. "You know, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to."
"We both know that.", the raven-haired boy said. "But I don't want to pretend like everything is like it used to be. I don't want to hide it anymore. If I want to hold Natsu's hand, I want to be able to hold it, and not worry about someone seeing it.", the boy continued, and as the red-haired girl looked at the fire mage he nodded, signaling that he agreed with his boyfriend.
"You know, the bad reactions won't go away just because you're not there. Those who'll think this is a joke won't just accept it. I certainly wouldn't without seeing you two together.", Erza said.
"At least once we do get there, they'll be able to see and not just laugh.", the pink-haired boy replied.
The requip mage nodded. "So, when do you want me to announce it?", she asked.
"Hey!", the boys said at the same time, then Natsu let the ice-make wizard continue since they were clearly thinking the same thing. "You don't have to announce it. Just… tell it to someone… I don't know… yeah, tell Mira and tell her not to say anything to anyone. That way, everyone will learn it by the end of the day."
"If that's what you want…", the red-haired girl said. She looked like she really wanted to 'announce' it. Was she thinking it would be like a play?
Initially coming just to tell them about the developments in the guild, she ended up staying there, first because Natsu went shopping, then they ate breakfast, then she wanted to entertain Gray (so he wouldn't do anything stupid, she said), and lastly, Natsu asked her to stay with Gray while he cooked lunch (which she was surprised he could do).
He didn't get why she and his boyfriend were so surprised he could cook. He could eat almost constantly, so didn't it make sense he knew how to cook, knew how to satisfy his needs? Of course, he ate lunch and dinner at the guild, but if they didn't go on any jobs, he had meals between them, and that was something that he wasn't eating at the guild.
Erza was surprised to see (as she said) "edible" food, and even more surprised when she tried it, saying it tasted almost as good as a strawberry cake. As they ate, she asked him if he ever tried his hand at baking cakes to which he answered negatively. She requested he make a strawberry cake for her sometime, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as she was. It took him quite a good amount of time to learn what worked with what, and never really doing any deserts, he knew it would be a challenge. It's not like he wouldn't do it just because it was a challenge, but if something like the Tartaros, or the invasion keeps coming for them every once in a while, he just wouldn't have the time.
After they were done eating, Erza said that it was time for her to go. She had to go spread some rumors, and she said she'd like to check on Wendy. So, after spending some six hours with the red-haired girl, the boys and the cat were left alone in the apartment again.
Happy decided that it was time for another Movie Lacrima (apparently, Gray had the same taste in movies as the blue cat), so they settled on a couch and watched another action movie. The pink-haired boy would've enjoyed watching this movie, and he did enjoy it, but he would have been more than happy just spending time with his boyfriend in silence.
Once the movie was over, the fire mage decided that since the raven-haired boy could walk, even if he was a little dizzy, they should go for a walk. The ice-make wizard couldn't stay cooped up in his apartment constantly for a few days, and fresh air would surely do him some good. Besides, since everyone already knew that Natsu was staying with Gray, and either knew or would know very shortly that they are more than friends, they could walk like a couple not worrying about anyone seeing them. Seeing the ice-make wizard injured, people would just think that he needed to hold onto something not to lose his balance. Even if they had that excuse right now, people would slowly get accustomed to them walking hand in hand, right?
They exited the apartment, Happy flying near them for support. The dragon slayer didn't know why, but him and his blue friend still haven't told the raven-haired boy about Happy's transformation. He guessed that it never came up, the ice-make wizard not asking how or why Carla finally excepted the blue Exceed's advances. He decided that it was time that changed so he spoke.
"Hey, buddy, why don't you walk with us?", he asked. Both his boyfriend and his friend were surprised by the question, the blue cat's small legs making smaller steps than humans', which presented a problem when he tried to follow someone by walking. In a few seconds, Happy realized what he meant, and landed just a few meters in front of them. The fire mage and the cat knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking, which was always good for the pranks they did in pair.
Natsu saw Gray watching the Exceed curiously wanting to see what was going to happen. He seemed disappointed when the cat just waited for them to reach him, and then started walking with them, running every now and then to catch up to them. The ice-make wizard turned towards the pink-haired boy with a questioning look on his face.
"Happy, why don't you tell Gray how you finally managed to get Carla to go out with you.", the fire mage said, pretending not to notice his boyfriend's expression.
"Aye, sir!", the Exceed said in his normal voice. "Like this.", he said after he transformed, as the raven-haired boy still looked at the dragon slayer. While Happy was in his human form his voice changed a little. It wasn't enough to not know who was talking, but it was different enough for the ice-make wizard to turn around, wondering who was talking.
Seeing a blue haired boy walking next to him, he looked behind, looking for the cat. After his brain processed that the boy next to him had blue cat ears and a blue tail, Gray looked like he realized that the boy was actually Happy.
As his boyfriend turned towards his blue friend, Natsu couldn't see his expression anymore. "How long have you been practicing that for?", the raven-haired boy asked, wonder in his voice.
"Natsu and I did it yesterday.", the Exceed answered.
"You and…", the ice-make wizard started, but was interrupted.
"Gray… I thought I told you not to do anything stupid.", Erza's voice was heard.
The fire mage's boyfriend turned to face him, but was met with the red-haired girl. The raven-haired boy looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin, but he seemed to connect the dots, and realizing who the red-haired girl actually was, just said, "Bastard."
Gray looked like he just solved some big problem, but he soon looked embarrassed by whatever he was thinking about, and as Natsu asked him what the look on his face was, the ice-make wizard wouldn't answer. They walked a few moments in silence, before the raven-haired boy said that he should learn Transformation Magic too, "It will be useful in the future.", he just said. Since the fire mage didn't know what he meant by that, nor looked like he'd be willing to answer what he meant, he didn't press for an answer.
They walked to the river, to the place where they used to fight all the time. There they sat down, recovering from half an hour of walking through the town they did. Of course, none of them were tired, but Gray's dizziness intensified, and they decided that stopping for some time, and sitting down would be for the best. At this point, Happy decided to revert back to his cat self, saying he didn't want to repeat what happened the day of the train accident. He said he stayed transformed for too long, spending all of his Magic Power, and he couldn't even fly afterwards.
They were sitting there for about as long as they walked, before the ice-make wizard said he thought he'd be able to walk home. As he stood up, he said he felt like he could go for another half hour walk, but the dragon slayer didn't want to risk it, so they headed for the apartment.
About a minute or two from Gray's apartment, the pink-haired boy stopped them. They weren't in the same street as the entrance to his boyfriend's apartment, so she didn't see them. "Juvia's stalking your apartment again. Can you make it to my house?", the dragon slayer asked.
The raven-haired wizard didn't look very pleased by the fact that the blue-haired woman wouldn't leave him alone. "Yeah, I can walk that long.", he said.
"Do you think she heard we're together?", the fire mage asked, wondering if that was the reason, or if the girl was just her usual stalkerish self.
"She could have, but who knows with that… girl.", the ice-make wizard said, pausing a little before saying "girl" The pink-haired boy knew exactly what would went there. "Crazy."
"Well, I stayed at your place for a day, so it's only fair you stay at mine.", Natsu said, looking for something positive in the girl's stalking. "At least I've kept it clean since Lucy cleaned it.", he added.
"It's clean?", the raven-haired boy asked dubiously. His boyfriend had only ever been to his house a few times, and each of those times was before Lucy cleaned. Since she did that, the dragon slayer felt it as his duty to keep it that way. He created some habits, like cleaning dishes after he ate, making his bed (which he brought not long after Lucy cleaned his house, and he realized that with a little expansion he could add another room) every morning and so on. With them he managed to keep his house fairly clean.
"You'll see when we get there."
"Wait, don't you have a hammock? Where am I going to sleep?", the ice-make wizard asked.
"Oh, we expanded the house a little, so now there's a bed."
They reached the house, just as Gray's dizziness was getting worse. Natsu immediately lowered his boyfriend on the couch once they entered the house. He made tea for the three of them, and as they sat drinking it, the raven-haired boy said he wanted to play some of their games.
The dragon slayer knew that the ice-make wizard and the Exceed played some of them yesterday, but since he always thought that others would see their games as stupid, he didn't expect someone to ask to play it. He and his blue friend always had fun playing them, so he didn't have to be convinced to play.
Even though the last two days weren't as adventurous as the pink-haired boy's job and brawl filled ones usually were, he quite liked them. He wouldn't mind spending all of his days like this, no one endangering them (except maybe Juvia), no obligations to do something. It was perfect.
Natsu was glad so few people knew where his house was.
When they woke up this morning, Gray had asked him if he could get some of his stuff from his apartment. Since the fire mage was in town anyway, he decided to go buy a few things. With a bag in one hand, he headed for the apartment.
Focusing on his senses, he smelled the blue-haired girl stalking his boyfriend's apartment a lot sooner than the day before. Deciding to get a little closer, maybe find a window through which he could enter the apartment without being seen by the girl, he carefully approached the corner, and looked around it.
Seeing half a dozen of his guildmates, along with Juvia standing there, he knew that Mira spread the rumors. He wasn't sure the white-haired girl would do it, being afraid of him and all, but apparently, rumors were more important than her fear.
Why were they just standing in front of the entrance? He understood that people would want to ask them for conformation of the rumors, maybe come laugh at them, saying they didn't know what they were talking about, but why didn't they go in, or if they did, why were they there when it would be clear that the boys weren't.
Gajeel came from the building in which Gray's apartment was. "I can smell Salamander!", he shouted behind his back, as he headed for where Natsu was. The pink-haired boy hadn't thought that another dragon slayer could be with the mob looking for his boyfriend and him. At least now he could find out if he could really fully transform into someone.
The iron dragon slayer must've been confused as he lost the fire mage's smell, but seeing him coming around the corner, Natsu knew he hadn't stopped his search for him. Gajeel was surprised when he found a certain red-haired girl in front of him. "Are you looking for Gray?", he asked, pretending to just be checking on the ice-make wizard, but half a dozen people behind him weren't exactly selling his story. "He's not home."
The fire dragon slayer knew Mira would most often not tell who told her something when she spread the rumors so as far as anyone knew, it wasn't Erza who told everyone about him and the raven-haired boy. He had to watch to act according to how everyone thought the real Erza would. "What are you doing here?", the pink-haired boy asked in the requip mage's body and voice.
Gajeel, seeing his story not working, abandoned all pretense. "Are you cooking for them!?", he asked, looking disgusted and angry after he saw the bag in his hand. Was that disgust and anger there at the thought of the two boys being together? Before Natsu could answer, the iron dragon asked another question. "Where is Natsu's house?", he asked threateningly.
It was clear how Erza would react in this situation, and luckily, it would end their interaction there. Putting on his best Erza stare, he spoke. "Do you have a problem?", he asked in the red-haired girl's characteristically deep, threatening voice. It worked, Gajeel turning white, realizing what he just did. The people behind him were just as scared, those who thought that they weren't seen started to sneak off.
"It was just a joke.", the iron dragon slayer said, laughing nervously.
"You should refrain from joking about my friends.", the fire mage said, turning and leaving his guildmates behind.
Natsu kept his focus on his senses, wanting to make sure he wasn't followed, keeping his Erza disguise until he even forgot that he was the red-haired girl. While he could never be sure in the town, since his house was in the forest, he could be absolutely certain no one was following him. He wasn't able to get anything from his boyfriend's apartment, so he went shopping again, buying a toothbrush, and a few other things that Gray said he needed.
Making his way home, he smelled the requip mage, and he realized he was still transformed. Changing back, he continued toward his house. He was a few minutes from his home, when he realized that he still smelled Erza, and there was someone else's smell. It was Wendy.
Did that mean she went there to heal Gray? That's what the dragon slayer thought as he hurried home. Entering the house quietly, in case the sky dragon slayer really was healing his boyfriend, he only found Erza in the first room. The door to his bedroom was closed, and he guessed Wendy and the ice-make wizard were there. If the blue-haired girl was here, that meant Carla probably came too, and she and Happy went somewhere.
Before he had a chance to say anything, the red-haired girl spoke. "Wendy's healing Gray.", she said simply. As he nodded, she spoke up hesitatingly. "Hey, Natsu…", she said quietly, the fire mage looking at her. "I still haven't told this to Gray, but I don't think people are taking the whole you and Gray together thing well."
She would have probably continued, explaining what she meant, but the pink-haired boy spoke. "I know. I saw Gajeel and a few others.", he said.
His words seemed to alarm the requip mage. "What did they say to you?", she asked, sounding afraid.
"They didn't talk to me, they talked to you.", the fire mage said, transforming for a moment to show the girl what he meant. She didn't look all that surprised, so he continued. "Anyway, their faces told me enough. Is that how everyone's reacting?"
"I don't know why, but I think Gajeel's reaction is as bad as it gets. He says it's because you rejected his girlfriend's best friend for someone you can't even fuck, as he said, but that's not his true reason, and I don't know what is. Anyway, there are a few others like Mirajane, surprisingly Laxus and Freed and Levy, which is why I know Gajeel's lying, who said that it's your lives and your decision. Most of the people still disapprove, but with all of the S-class wizards (except Gildarts, who doesn't know, since he's not in Magnolia) behind you, I don't think anyone will do anything stupid. So, I think you'll be fine coming to the guild."
The questions he had, the questions he would have asked, had to wait, because the door to his bedroom opened. The sky dragon slayer came out of the room first, the ice-make wizard slowly following behind. The pink-haired boy went to help his boyfriend, seeing him walking like he was still dizzy, which was odd since the sky dragon slayer should have healed him.
"He's not fully healed.", the blue-haired girl said before he could say anything. "I can't heal a concussion, so time will have to take care of that, and I mostly mended his arm and ribs, but he should still take it easy for a few more days."
Putting an arm around the raven-haired boy, he asked. "But the cast can go off?" It was stupid, but that cast was a constant reminder that the two boys weren't just idling around, but that one of them was injured. Sure, Gray had to take it easy a little longer, but most of his injuries were healed.
"There shouldn't be any problem with it taken off.", the little girl said smiling. Was she one of those few who thought that it was their lives, or maybe she was young enough not to care or know about what was normal, natural, but just be glad they were in love? Either way, she looked genuinely happy with Natsu helping Gray, and Gray giving him a look that said he was thankful, but so much more too.
He would have to tell his boyfriend what Erza had said, how others had reacted and are reacting, but for now, he lowered him on a couch, and served some drinks for their guests.
Thank you for reading and, sorry you had to wait for this chapter for so long.
I got my schedule, and I have 8 hours of lectures almost every day. I hope I'll be able to write at least one chapter every week, but I can't promise anything right now. I'll see how it goes, and give you better estimate in the next chapter. Till then, stay strong!