Hey, Dark Gothic Lolita here!
So how is everyone this week? I made sure to update well on time today, none of that lateness like last week. You guys have been nothing but a bunch of joys! I felt like last week's chapter was a little on the shit side, but all your reviews made me feel a lot better. And thanks for the support for my family and stuff. I really appreciate it.
But yeah, disclaimers and all that are boring.
ENJOY!
Liars
Chapter twelve
Natsu had sent Juvia a wake up call at five thirty and she had answered as if she had been awake the whole time. He would have mentioned it, but he knew that Juvia was going to be putting on her best performance with her most said line for the day being 'I'm fine.' He didn't know why he caved in telling her about his illness, but he also knew that it was wrong to keep hiding it from her. Not when she could sense that something was wrong with him. That and he really didn't want her thinking that he still liked Lucy.
He stood outside of Juvia's door, waiting for her to answer. He couldn't ring the doorbell because apparently Meredy hated noise waking her up from her sleep and she wasn't a morning person like the two of them were.
Juvia opened the door and shut it behind her as it locked. She beamed up at him and he grinned down at her. It was rare that he had a friend who was an early bird like him. No one should have such energy at this time of the morning, but they both did. It was almost like they had taken something.
"Good morning Natsu!"
"Morning. You sleep well?"
He saw her hesitate and he knew she was going to lie, but she must have decided against it because soon enough, she was shaking her head.
"Juvia slept, but she was definitely tossing and turning."
"Juves-"
"Juvia knows. Natsu doesn't want Juvia to worry, but she can't help it. Juvia has a really vivid imagination and it runs wild a lot, so this is making Juvia feel even worse. It's not really anxiety, just pessimistic stuff. Juvia couldn't help but worry. Juvia is sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered ya with something like that."
She glared up at him and this one wasn't a playful glare. If looks could kill, he would be ten feet under right now with no hopes of getting back up. He shivered at the sight of it.
"Stop making it sound like it's not a big deal when it is. Juvia is trying not to think about it for Natsu's sake, but Natsu also shouldn't downplay how serious his sickness was! Put yourself in Juvia's shoes. If Juvia had cancer and she didn't tell Natsu, would Natsu be happy?"
He grumbled when she said that before shaking his head. She gave him a look. "So why do you expect Juvia not to worry? It goes two ways. Leave Juvia and her worrying head, it's okay. Anyway, Juvia was thinking that Natsu should come swimming with Juvia one day!"
He shot her a very quick nervous look. He hadn't meant to give himself, but she knew that look from anywhere. Her eyes were filled with mirth. Natsu wanted to turn away in shame, but he was okay with it. Finally, a happy distraction. He would rather that she make fun of him than worry about him.
"Natsu can't swim, can he?"
Okay, now he wasn't so sure in letting her mock him. "Yo, keep your voice down Juves! It's still early morning, people are sleeping."
Her grin widening let him know that she wasn't going to be stopping any time soon. "Forget them, we're talking about this."
"Nope, there's nothing to talk about."
He tried to walk ahead quickly, but Juvia easily matched his speed. He cursed her mentally in his head, blaming her stamina from all that swimming. Someone like Lucy would have easily been left in the dust with how fast he was walking. It scared him that Juvia was shorter than him, yet she was able to keep up with this pace.
"Oh it's nothing to be ashamed of! Gray can't swim either, so Juvia can teach you!"
That caught his attention. He had never thought about it. In fact, he didn't even know. "Wait, did you just say that Gray can't swim?"
Juvia nodded. "Yes! Back when we were in second year, we went to a beach party and Gray only stayed in the shallow end of the water. When all the guys had a swimming race, Gray didn't participate and you know how competitive he gets with everything. Juvia figured that he just couldn't swim, but she knew that Gray would never admit that. Juvia asked Lyon-kun and he confirmed it for her. Lyon-kun can swim, but Gray never took swimming lessons seriously, so instead of wasting their money on him, his parents pulled him out of swimming lessons."
Natsu wore a look of glee on his face. "Oh this is fucking RICH! Anything that bastard can and can't do, I can do it! Look at me ice skating! I'm getting good now! And he can't swim?! I'm definitely having lessons from you. At least I know that I'll have a hot instructor."
He shot her a wink and she just grinned while her cheeks grew hotter. Just seeing that reaction was enough to let him know that everything was going to be okay.
It wasn't long until they finally got to the leisure centre. The lights were on and the car park was littered with a few cars. Where winter was slowly creeping up and the temperature was rapidly dropping day by day, only a handful of people made it to the centre at this time of day. It was too cold for anything else.
When they got inside, there was a tired looking receptionist as she yawned. Juvia couldn't help but be stunned at her beauty. She had long white hair and bright blue eyes. She seemed to perk up when she saw the two of them walk in, almost as if she were happy that she finally had some customers.
"Morning Natsu! And who's this you've brought here today?"
"Morning Mira. This is Juvia. She's a colleague of mine who's recently moved to Magnolia. I didn't know you were back in town."
Mira smiled sweetly at Juvia and Juvia couldn't help but return it. "Yep, came back a few days ago! Morning cutie! How do you like Magnolia Town so far?"
Juvia nodded slowly with a smile, as if she found it weird that she was being spoken to. "It's really nice here! It's really big, Juvia never expected it to be this full. It's almost like its own city!"
Mira laughed and nodded. "That's true, people don't realise how big Magnolia actually is. So what can I do for you today?"
"Oh, Juvia is here for a swim."
"Have you been here before?"
"Yes, a few times now." Natsu watched as she paused before leaning forward and speaking quietly so that no one walking by would hear her speak. It made him raise an eyebrow.
"Juvia is really sorry, but are you Mira as in the Mira-Jane Strauss?"
Mira grinned and nodded. Juvia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth when she realised that she was talking to a real life celebrity. She looked up at Natsu as if to say 'look at her' and Mira giggled. Natsu gave her a knowing nod to say that he already knows.
"Yup, that's me!"
They both watched as Juvia looked around at the place. It was a very nice leisure centre, being rebuilt only two years ago. Still, it didn't mean that she should be working in such a place as she is a model. "But what are you doing here?"
"I hate doing nothing. This was one of my first jobs I got I before I got scouted, so whenever I haven't got anything lined up for a while, or I want a holiday, I come back here to work for a bit. I'll be leaving after the Fantasia parade next weekend. That will be my celebrity show as I'm in the parade. It's not like the people of Magnolia really care, this is my hometown after all."
Juvia stared at her in awe and Mira winked. "But you are definitely a cutie! I think if you wanted to, you could become a model."
Juvia blushed and wrapped a strand of hair around her finger. Natsu noticed that it was something she did whenever she got really shy. He didn't know why she would feel shy when Mira was telling her the truth. Juvia was beautiful enough to become a model. He soon scowled when he realised what that meant.
"Not like I want her to be. I'm not having any man perv over her."
"Juvia would be too shy to become a model. It's not the sort of thing for her."
"Ah, that's a shame, but I understand. So what activity would you like to do today? Use the gym or go swimming?"
"Juvia would love to go swimming please."
"Okay. I guess I don't need to tell you where to go if you've already been here before. Have fun and enjoy your session!"
Juvia nodded and smiled before she looked up at Natsu. "Juvia only swims for an hour, Juvia isn't sure how long Natsu likes to spend in the gym, so Juvia guesses she'll see you at the station?"
"I don't spend too long either, an hour's good with me. At this time, all the machines are free for me to do what I need to do and get outta here. I can wait for you, it's no big deal."
She nodded once more and waved them both off before heading down towards the swimming pool area. Natsu couldn't help but watch as she left and Mira cleared her throat, making him jump. His cheeks were tinted pink as he scratched the back of his head at the fact that he had just been caught staring at Juvia.
" Well judging by that look, I'm guessing there's more to it than just colleagues, huh?"
Natsu found himself explaining himself to her. Mira was a model, a receptionist and a self proclaimed love expert. The thing is, her advice usually worked, so many people did end up coming to her for advice. Back in the school newspaper when they were younger, she was the agony aunt. He only knew that because Lisanna had told him.
"It sounds to me like you've got everything planned out. I don't need to give you any advice, you're on the right tracks with her. Good for you! I'm so happy to see you finally get the girl that you liked! I know it can't have been easy seeing Gray and Lucy together, but I'm glad to see that you've moved on with a girl more suited for you."
She ruffled his hair and he grinned at her, almost shyly. He saw Mira as a big sister. Having an older brother was great, but when your brother was just as clueless as you are and talking to your mum was the last thing you wanted to do, Mira was the best person to ask for advice.
"How's Lisanna and Biscklow? They doing alright?"
Mira nodded. "Yep, they're as right as rain. I still can't believe the both of them just upped and moved to Edolas. I wasn't expecting that at all! Still, they've both managed to secure their dream jobs out there and they're flourishing."
"Yeah, well Lisanna always loved animals, so her being a vet out in Edolas isn't surprising. What about Elfman?"
"Dating Evergreen! Yup, they finally couldn't hide it from me any longer even though I called it ages ago that they would start dating. He's doing well in sumo you know."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Maybe he'll let me and Juvia come to games for free?"
Mira gave him an amused look and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe. It would be good for him to have support seeing as Lisanna no longer lives in the country and I'm jetting off all over the world. But Juvia likes sumo as well? You've done well here, finding yourself a girl who enjoys sumo with you."
He nodded, feeling proud of himself. "I got her into it. We both love it and she's even called it our thing." Mira squealed at that and Natsu continued. "Anyway, I should head on up. I'll see you later."
"See ya! And Natsu? Good luck on Saturday."
Natsu nodded, extreme happiness rushing through him. The more he spoke about his plans to the other people around him, the more it gave him confidence to go through with his plan. This Saturday at the peony viewing, he was going to ask Juvia to be his girlfriend and no one was going to be able to stop him.
He made his way up the stairs towards the gym when he paused. He turned his head to the right and saw the door to the viewing gallery for the swimming pool. Usually, parents sat and watched their children having their swimming lessons there, so he knew that the view of the pool would be really good.
Before he could even think about it, he had already turned his body towards the door and pushed it open. He made his way to the ledge, his heart beating quickly. He really hoped that he didn't come across as perverted for wanting to see her swim.
He saw her show up by the pool side and he felt his blood boiling beneath his skin. He felt so hot when he watched her. He now understood why the guys in her department were always praising her legs. He found his eyes widened when he saw that she had another tattoo around the lower half of her stomach. It swirled around her belly button in a way that looked like purple flames.
He almost found himself drooling when she stood leaning on her back foot and she tied up her hair to put on a swimming hat. He growled when he saw a few of the early birds ogling her, but she didn't seem to notice them. His fists clenched, almost rushing off of the ledge to poke out their eyes so that they could never look at her again.
She looked better than all the swimsuit models that him and his friends used to salivate over back when they were teenagers. Juvia's skin was a lot paler than his, but he didn't care. That seemed to make her glow radiantly in his eyes. Aside from her long legs and the swell of her breasts, Natsu couldn't describe Juvia in another word other than beautiful. She looked like one of the greek goddesses that Reed used to paint.
"I have got to stop staring at her like this."
He was finally able to back away from the gallery as he pulled the door open again. Not without turning back and watching Juvia dive into the water to start her lengths. He caught himself smiling dreamily. If all goes well, that alluring woman was going to be his girlfriend.
For the rest of the day, Natsu was extremely distracted. He didn't know what it was, but Juvia looked and even smelt different. Her hair was bouncier than usual, smelled like white cashmere and the perfume that she wore was delectable as it overtook his senses. He wanted to do nothing more than wrap his arms around her and bury his face in the crook of her neck. The only time that he had been able to hug Juvia in an intimate way was when they were both emotional. He would like to experience it all without having to resort to that.
"Is Natsu okay? You seem a little distracted today."
She was giving him a worried look, a look that he hated so much. She was much better with a smile on her face or better yet, a blush. He nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She didn't look like she believed him and he rolled his eyes. "No seriously Juves, I'm good. I don't feel sick or anything. I'm thinking about something else."
The worried look melted off her face. He couldn't lie to her and she probably knew that, which is why she believed that it wasn't anything to do with his past sickness. After all, he promised her he wouldn't leave her in the dark in terms of his health.
"Is it something that Juvia can help with?"
"I would love it if you could. Trust me."
"Nah, it's cool."
Juvia didn't say anything and he knew that she was going to leave the situation alone, but he knew he made her feel bad. It was an insecurity of hers. She felt useless to people a lot of the time and he hated it when she thought that way. Instead, he inched his seat closer to hers and wrapped an arm around her. He heard her make a surprised noise and he decided to go the full way with the hug. Without their coats in the way, he could really feel her body against his. He held her tightly and he could smell her even more now. He took a subtle sniff of her perfume and almost sighed out in pure happiness.
"You know what Juves, you just made me feel a whole lot better."
She turned her head to face him and Natsu's eyes widened at how close their faces were. Her lips were right there and he noticed things that he wouldn't have ever noticed up close. Like even though she was pale, he could see very faint freckles on her face. Her lips, Kami her lips. This girl was going to be the death of him.
"Juvia is glad that she could..."
They then turned away from each other and Natsu moved his arms back. He could feel himself heating up. He had never been in an awkward situation like that. This was the sort of thing that happened in movies! But to be able to be that close to her and she didn't push him away, it had to mean something, right?
He soon heard Juvia speak and was grateful that their awkward moment had finally passed over. He didn't want to sit here in silence with her.
"Juvia didn't know that Natsu was friends with Mira-san."
"Oh yeah, she's like my older sister! Her younger sister is our age and she was my best friend before Gray was. We used to live on the same road and I was a bit of a cry baby when we were in nursery. Lisanna looked after me."
Juvia's eyes almost bulged out of her head, an amused look on her face. Natsu rolled his eyes, knowing what she was laughing about.
"Yeah, laugh it up, I was a crybaby. So sue me. I didn't wanna be away from my mum."
"That is hilarious, because Juvia just can't see it! So where is Lisanna? Juvia doesn't think she's ever met or heard of her."
"She lives in Edolas with her boyfriend. Or fiance, whatever they are these days. She moved out there for uni and we all knew she wouldn't come back. Their veterinary science is one of the best in the world, so it was a given that she would end up there. I guess she just set up her life there."
He shrugged his shoulders as he spoke and Juvia nodded. "She sounds like she is your true best friend. Juvia always thought that it was Gray, but you sound more fond of Lisanna. Juvia would have loved to meet her."
Natsu smiled at the thought of Lisanna. They were inseparable when they were children. Everyone around them thought that they would have ended up together in the future. It would have been cute, being each other's childhood sweethearts and whatnot, but they just weren't into each other like that. However, they did experiment together, doing all of their firsts with someone that they could trust and always rely on. It's why they became friends with benefits.
"I know she would have liked you as well. Anyone who makes me happy is high up there on her list. That and you two are pretty similar, always going with the flow of anything crazy. We used to get in a lot of trouble together until we let Gray into our space. Then it was us three musketeers trying to run away from Erza."
Juvia burst out laughing at the thought of it and Natsu's grin was wide, watching her do so. Juvia was so unapologetically herself and he loved her even more for it. She never shied away, never hid herself and even when she blushed, she let people see her blush. She didn't care for popularity and didn't care what people whispered about her in the halls, even if it was something good like about how beautiful she is or something.
"This week is gonna be the longest week of my life."
~x~
Natsu got home and saw his older brother cooking. He grinned. Zeref had always been more domesticated than he was. Natsu had taken up the typical guy role of being useless in the kitchen. It's not that he was useless, but more that when he was younger, he had pyromaniac tendencies because of the fire dragon in the Dragon Chronicles. Zeref looked up and smiled when he saw his younger brother.
"Yo. You alright?"
"Never better. Work was okay. Well, better than okay when I'm partnered with Juvia."
Zeref smirked and Natsu couldn't help but blush a little bit and decided to look at what he was cooking.
"Wendy already told me the truth between you and Juvia. She couldn't keep her mouth shut because she's upset that your relationship isn't real. I too am a bit disappointed, but at that dinner yesterday, I couldn't help but feel like it was real."
Natsu sighed. He felt bad leaving his brother out of the loop, but he didn't actually know he was coming back any time soon. If he did, he would have warned him about what he was doing, but he hadn't been able to do that before his brother showed up as a surprise.
"And I wish it was too." He moved to the sink to wash his hands. "I won't lie. At first, she meant nothing to me. I mean, we were acquaintances, but I still liked Lucy. Kinda. I was in that phase of choosing to get over Lucy, but I still had feelings for her. D'you get me?"
Zeref nodded his head as he prepared to dish out their food. Natsu started setting up the table. He had come back late today. Him and Juvia still had a few things to sort out.
"Yeah, so obviously I lied to Gray and Luce when they asked me what I was doing one weekend-"
"You LIED?! And they fell for it?!"
Natsu knew that he was going to react like that and nodded his head.
"I know! I think because I was so mad, I got away with it. Anyway, I saw Juvia later that day and we're both smoking and she's the first girl to actually talk to me, like ask me how I've been without the end game being that she wants to get into my trousers for one night and then leave."
Zeref was aware of his brother's one night stands. He also knew that he was always left unsatisfied by them as well. Natsu wanted someone to love with his whole heart and he wanted them to be able to do the same. By the way things sounded and even looked, he might have found what he was looking for in Juvia.
"But Juvia and I have been hanging out every weekend since then and I didn't think that I would fall for her because I thought that Luce was my type and they're nothing alike, but holy SHIT, Juvia is so fucking beautiful and funny and she just gets me. That girl is as crazy as I am and even though she lets me get away with a lot of crap, she knows when it's time to be sensible too and I really appreciate her for that. Plus, she cooks for me."
Zeref burst out laughing when his brother was rambling and Natsu looked a little flustered when he realised that he had started rambling about Juvia.
"Bro, you've definitely got it bad for this girl! All I can say is that mum and dad adore her, the same way they adore Mavis. So what are you going to do about Juvia?"
They both sat down at the table and Natsu smirked. "I plan on asking her out this weekend. She's taking me to the peony viewing festival in Oaktown this weekend and according to Gajeel, it's really important to their family."
His brother gave him an impressed look as they started eating. "It seems like you've got everything all planned out. With the way that she was looking at you as well, I would say that you're in the clear. She definitely likes you as much as you like her. I'm glad that your relationship isn't a full on scam. How the hell did she get an invite to the family dinner?"
Natsu rubbed the cheek where Juvia had kissed him and he grinned. She had even kissed him after the dinner, extremely close to his lips. He felt like melting. "Last weekend, we all went ice skating and then to dinner-"
"Fucking hell, I forgot that she's even got you ice skating. I never thought I would have seen the day."
Natsu shot him a glare for interrupting him and Zeref smiled cheekily, motioning for him to continue with his little story.
"She literally lives at the other end of the road, so I was dropping her off. I guess mum noticed my car and was wondering what I was doing without coming in. She saw Juvia giving me a kiss on the cheek before getting out of the car. Mum picked up on it and decided to invite her to dinner. You know I can't say no to mum."
"No one can," Zeref sighed with a fond smile at the thought of their mother. "So the way you met, was that the truth or what?"
Natsu frowned and tried to recall what was said at the dinner. "What did we say?"
"You said you met through Gray. She went to uni with Gray and Lyon and was friends with them and when you, Gray and Erza met up to hang out, you invited Lucy and Jellal invited Juvia. I still don't know how Jellal comes into the mix."
Natsu nodded. "Yeah, that's all the truth. Jellal is Juvia's cousin. At the time, Juvia used to like Gray and so Jellal invited her so that she could score some brownie points. Instead, Gray and Lucy hit it right off. I guess that was the start of a beautiful relationship."
Natsu rolled his eyes as he sipped on his water. "But y'know what? That's worked out in my favour! I definitely think Juvia is the one. More than Luce. Everything happens for a reason, right?"
"Right. I'm happy for you, bro. You also look like you've grown up a lot in the last two years. I'm really sorry that I haven't been here for you and that my job has been keeping me away. Even Mavis is feeling a little left out. I know she doesn't say anything, but she doesn't have to. Because of that, I've been looking for a new job."
Natsu frowned and shook his head. "But this has always been your dream job! I thought you loved it? Don't worry about me, I can't always have you there anyway. One day I'll get married and we'll have our own families, I can't always rely on you."
"But for now, you don't. I thought it was my dream job too, but my heart's no longer in it. I don't want to have to keep travelling around for months at a time and sleeping in hotel rooms instead of my own damn bed. The stress that this job gives me is ridiculous. I just wanna chill and relax, work close to home. I can't be fucking almost 30 and I look like I'm about to pass 45. I need to slow down. Plus, I want to be there for you, Wendy, mum and dad and Mavis. There's only so much time a girl can wait for you. I don't want to give her false hopes that we'll be together forever one day when I spend most of my time on the other side of the world without her by my side. Nah, I'm through with that."
Natsu nodded, understanding it completely. He also felt really happy that his brother was telling him this. As much as he didn't say it much, Natsu felt very lonely in the house. Without his brother here, the house felt too big. He would come home, heat up a ready made meal and then watch some TV or play some video games until it was time to go to bed.
That's why he was so grateful for Juvia's presence in his life. For the last year, he thought he was going to lose his mind. He very nearly found himself moving back in with his family, but then his parents wouldn't let him move back out if he were ever to be ready. As much as they were crazy, they were also worrywarts. Which is why he never told them about his illness in the first place. Now that he looked back at it, he was stupid for not telling them.
He heaved a sigh and Zeref looked up at him. He knew that sigh from anyway. "Is there something bugging you? You can tell me, y'know. I'm here to listen. I'm here now, and I'll do my best to always be here."
Natsu smiled, trying his best to make sure that no tears leaked out of his eyes. He was going to take Juvia's advice. He had to let his brother know what was up with him.
"Yeah, I'm good now. First of all though, tell me about what other jobs you're looking for. I just don't see you in an office like me."
Zeref chuckled. "That's odd, because I'm pretty sure it was you who said you wanted to become a sumo wrestler."
"I WAS FIVE, DAMMIT!"
Zeref laughed again and Natsu shook his head in exasperation. He knew that Zeref was only entertaining him because he was stalling. It was a habit that he had had from when he was young. Even though he was a terrible liar and would eventually end up telling them the truth, he would take as much time as he needed before he would finally blurt out whatever was on his mind. To his family, it was also a way to let them know that whatever he was going to tell them was big news and that they needed to be ready to comfort him.
"Well, I've actually already handed in my one month's notice. They're giving me all the remaining annual leave that they owe me, which is why I have time to rest and relax. Then in January, after the Christmas holiday, I will become a professor. I'll be the head of the physics department at our university."
Natsu gave him a very impressed look. They had both gone to the same university, but obviously at different times. Zeref was a genius and that wasn't self proclaimed. It was well known. He even achieved his PhD at the fine age of 26, which was why he could become the head of the department. Why he even went into international affairs in the first place did confuse anyone, but hey. The dude could do whatever he wanted with grades like that.
"Oh really? That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!"
"Thanks bro. Now, I think you have something to tell me?"
And Natsu did. He told him about his illness and how he felt so alone. He told him that he didn't hate him for doing what he needed to do and that he felt like shit when both of his friends would just continually blow him off to the point where he would stop asking them to hang out. How he thought to himself that he would end up dying alone in the house. Zeref wailed for his brother. He felt his heart almost rip in two when he heard the pain that his brother had gone through all alone.
"I remembered that Ignia has a holistic doctor. One that helps use natural medication instead of all this man made shit. That and she gives you advice on what you need to eat and change your lifestyle. Ignia doesn't get sick and whenever he gets injured from work, that shit he uses works like a dream. I thought that maybe I should give it a go and maybe I ended up being okay because we found the cancer on time."
Zeref glared through his tears and Natsu flinched. "You say she helped you change your lifestyle yet you never stopped smoking."
Natsu gave his brother a guilty look as he tried to wipe his own tears. Seeing Zeref cry was one of the worst things he had ever witnessed, just like seeing Juvia cry for him. The more he thought about it, the more realised that it would be selfish if he passed on without anyone knowing why. He did have people who loved him and his family would be devastated.
"I tried in the beginning, but I fucking couldn't. I needed something to help me cope. I know Porlyusica definitely hated me for it, but I was getting better regardless of it. The tumour is gone completely and I go back every three months for a check up. I asked Juvia for tips on how to quit smoking because I didn't even know she smoked. It was working, but we went for at least one cigarette a day together. I told her about this last night and she's making me quit completely. She's also the reason that I have the balls to even tell you what I went through. I feel a lot lighter telling you and her. I thought people were bullshitting about actually talking to someone about something."
Zeref wiped his tears completely and smiled at his brother, ruffling his hair. "Let me know whenever your check up appointment is. I want to be there at all times. I'm sure Juvia would want to be there too."
Natsu opened his mouth to tell him that he wouldn't need to do that and that he would be fine by himself. He quickly closed his mouth when he saw the look that Zeref was giving him. He just settled for a nod instead, smiling a little bit at the fact that his brother was always ready to drop whatever he was doing to make sure that he was okay. Not like he wanted him to pause his own life for him, but it always felt nice to know that he was important.
"But please don't tell mum and dad. Or Wendy. I don't want them worrying over me."
Zeref gave him a conflicted look, but he nodded and sighed. The look that his younger brother was giving him was too much to say no to. "Fine, I won't tell them anything. Eventually, you will. You can't leave them in the dark about this. I know you hate making people worried about you, but they're family and you know they will always be there for you.?
Natsu smiled gratefully before picking up the plates to wash. Zeref cooked and he washed, it was only fair.
"Now, why don't we go to the living room and defeat you in the new Dragon Chronicles game, Forces Unite?"
Zeref's eyes flashed dangerously. "You, defeat me? Pft, I can't wait to see you try!"
So how was that chapter for you guys? We're getting closer and closer to the day where Natsu asks Juvia to be his...or does he? I wouldn't know...
So because my ending A/N was so long in the last chapter, I didn't get to explain the peony viewings. So as most people know, Hanami is very important in Japan. This is where they watch the sakuras bloom. It's been literal years since I last read/watched the chapter/episode with the Hanami parade. Sakura blooms more in the spring, but this is currently set around December time. I looked it up and in Japan they also have other flower viewings and in December, peonies bloom! So that's why I felt like it was appropriate. Also, peonies have a really nice meaning that is good for the story too.
Please don't forget to rate or hate, flames or floods! Make sure to stay clean, safe and sane! This story is almost finished and I should be looking at finishing off I don't dance...But I've also started 3 new stories, oops! I'm also looking at exploring different pairings and maybe different fandoms as well. I'll let you all know in due time, but yeah!
Lolita-chan