01

Gift

a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present

Exhausted. He was so exhausted from going through the same routine each year.

The beginning of September meant everyone would move up a grade, meaning new students would replace the old ones. That meant the same reactions were repeated every also:

"Wow! I've never seen that on a guy before…"

"What are you? Gay or something?"

"Are you gonna prance around for us, Fairy?"

He'd heard them before and he'd hear them again.

Honestly, he didn't care about what people thought about him but having the majority student body harshly judge him only added to his already overwhelming stress. Nonetheless, teenagers will always be vicious creatures. No matter how much he tried to defend himself, they refused to listen to him. He wasn't a 'drug addict' or 'mentally ill' or whatever new theory came to flood the hallways that week; he was just himself. Unfortunately, 'himself' was just a walking conspiracy to fuel their need for unnecessary gossip.

He never understood why high schoolers were so obsessed with that kind of stuff anyway. Why was there such a fixation to tear each other down at the most vulnerable age? What entertainment could they possibly get from hacking away at other's self-esteem? The pointing, the staring, the whispering, the giggling – every seemingly harmless act was gradually chipping away at his self-worth. And he was nearing a breaking point.

His main issue was that he never let out his frustration; he just bottled it up and locked it in a cellar. He never cried. He refused to. He had to look stable to prevent them from worrying. Never did he want to show any sign of weakness in front of the people who cared about him, especially in front of the one he knew that was already going through so much stress. It was so strongly believed that he could just power past the pain. Now he was swimming in his delusion. Help was needed but not wanted.

Trauma was constantly reminding him that he could never genuinely be at peace. Not ever again. Ever since he left everything went to shit. It was truly fascinating that life could alter so drastically from a single matter. Fate could be so cruel, but he didn't believe in fate, he could never believe that every tragedy was written by the universe purposefully. So, his anguish was amplified by the fact that someone chose to do something so sinister.

Sighing to himself, he glared at the mirror. He scowled at it. The part of him that would be his main predicament today.

His hair.

Such an unusual colour. Thick, rosy tufts bound to gain the attention of everyone he encountered. To him though, it wasn't that farfetched; he'd seen many others with unnaturally natural hair: from azure blue to crimson red, yet they weren't bombarded with snide remarks about their life 'choices'. Pink hair wasn't uncommon either – though he'd never seen it on a guy before – even so, it didn't justify people invading his privacy about it. After contemplating whether to style his hair or to leave it unkempt, he opted to leave it scruffy. He would attract attention regardless.

Making his way out of the minuscule bathroom, he strolled down the narrow corridor arriving at the door to his room. It was painted a bland white but there were faint scrapes still visible; its handle was loose – barely holding on from a few screws. There was a loud creak as the door slowly swung open. The wearied expression he wore on his face was swiftly painted over with one of shock.

There on his bed lay a bag and a note. Rapidly, he paced towards the bed. He analysed the bag: It was manufactured carefully from nylon, a pure-black thread used. Its dark material contrasted perfectly with the radiant silver zips. However, the part that alarmed him the most was the logo stitched to the front.

'HK'

No way he could have ever afforded to get this. His eyes quickly averted to the note resting above the bag. The paper was manila, probably torn from a folder; the words staining it was written in a rich black, the font big and bold.

I figured since you're starting your next year of education, you deserve a present! :D

P.S Don't worry about the cost of it, you deserve it! (It wasn't that expensive anyway)

He felt his chest tighten. It was a designer brand, of course, it was expensive! He made it explicitly clear to him that he didn't need any special gifts or expensive items. He didn't want them. Even if they weren't in debt, he still wouldn't want a present. He didn't want his dad to struggle more just for his benefit. Sure, it would be an upgrade from his old, frayed bag but he would rather be in slight discomfort than be engulfed in guilt. Guilt was already steadily chipping away at him every time his father spent money on him for food.

This broke the dam.

He couldn't contain it anymore. The bottle had cracked and flooded the cellar. He gasped for air – his ribs had been constricting his lungs. He couldn't breathe. Letting out a breathless sob, he brought his hand to his face in a futile attempt to cease the leaking in his eyes. He'd heard that crying made people feel better yet he still felt pathetic. He had stained his face with the ink he swore to never let spill again.

Tears.

Tenrou Academy stood before him, seeming to be intimidating yet still welcoming. Sighing, he sauntered towards the building; he honestly just wanted to get the day over and done with. Already in a shit mood from his father's 'gift', he was certain his frame of mind would further decline as time went on. He clutched the bag a bit more aggressively at the thought of the 'gift' – he would make sure to force his dad to return the minute as he saw him.

Fortunately, his trek to class was uneventful apart from the odd looks he received from a few freshmen. Now he was at homeroom for the junior year. He was especially grateful that the students in his form class didn't change as well as his homeroom. At least they would be used to his abstract hair colour, well, most of them anyway. The majority of students in his class would still add ammunition to the rumours but they were more discreet than the rest of the student body. However, he was pleased he had his friends and the occasional saint that defended him.

Students were already in class joyously chatting away as he entered. Naturally, all eyes attracted to him for a moment because of the sudden movement of the door, but no further notice was paid to him. Maybe today wouldn't be so dreadful after all. He walked to his seat, now in a slightly cheerier mood from earlier. He was normally a more optimistic person anyway, so the faint change in student behaviour brought a lot of hope to his mind. He was now more certain his day wouldn't be completely awful.

"Yo Natsu! Are you just gonna ignore me?" someone yelled from across the classroom.

Never mind. His day just got a thousand times worse. The sound of that thing's voice made his ears bleed. No one was a greater annoyance than that moron. He was always in his business, always trying to aggravate him. He wanted to deck him every time it opened its mouth.

"What do you want, Gray?" he grumbled. Natsu didn't like Gray but he also didn't hate him. They were best friends after all. Gray had been his closest friend since the day they met – the instantly clicked – starting a massive fight over who had the best name. Gray was like a brother to him at this point. Other than his dad, Gray was the first person Natsu would go to for advice. Even though they thought a lot, they would always defend each other when needed. Gray was one of the few people who cared for him, and Natsu cared for him too – of course, he would never admit to it out loud.

"What's got your panties in a twist, Pyro? I've been calling you for the past 2 minutes!" he asked, now leaning over said Pyro's desk. He kind of felt a little guilty for unintentionally ignoring him. "Sorry, bad morning." he apologised but his voice was anything but apologetic.

Thankfully, Gray didn't pry further, he just sighed crossed his toned arms over his bare chest. "Put your clothes on, pervert!" he growled, scowling at the half-naked pupil in front of him. "What the- shit! When did that happen?" he scrambled to go find his shirt and tie, causing a few girls in the room to screech in the process. In some sort of sick comfort, Natsu was glad he had that stripping habit. It meant Gray was also a bank for gossip too; it wasn't that he wanted his best friend to be a source of rumours but it meant they could both relate to each other and that put him at ease.

Once the taller boy retrieved his articles of clothing, he returned to the table Natsu was sat at. He ran a hand to move a dark strand of hair from his face. "Anyway, I didn't really get to see you during the summer, how've you been?" but his question wasn't answered as the school bell began to ring, indicating homeroom would start. Gray grumbled something incoherent to Natsu as he stomped towards his own desk. The remaining students began to flock to their desks also as the supposed teacher walked into the room.

The teacher was a man, assumed to be in his mid-thirties. He had light auburn slicked-back hair. At the bottom of his tanned face rested a stubby beard and moustache to match. Dark emerald piercing eyes scanned the classroom; they were like olive pools filled with authority. The man set his clipboard on the teacher desk and grinned.

"Alright class, I'm Mr Clive but you guys can call me Gildarts if you want, I'm going to be your homeroom teacher again this year – like I have been the past three years – I'm sure you're all sick of me by now but you're gonna have to deal with it!" a few pupils laughed at the man's upbeat tone. Most students admired Gildarts, he was the school's gym coach and a very cheerful fun-to-be-around man. Gildarts used to represent Magnolia in professional boxing, however, he retired after he got into a serious accident. No one knows how the accident came to be, the only information fed to the public was that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

He continued the classes briefing as Natsu began to zone out. He was disinterested in his new schedule or new upgrades the school had built. Truthfully, he was still sour about the rucksack that rested at his feet. He didn't feel the need to pay attention anyway, any 'important' information would usually come up again later anyways. Of course, that didn't stop her from asking any and every basic question that came to mind, which only added to his chagrin.

Erza was a stickler for rules and she brought it upon herself to enforce them, especially as she would always run for student president (and somehow always won). She was also one of the people who cared about Natsu. If Gray was a brother to Natsu, Erza was an older sister. A terrifying older sister at that. Defying Erza was asking for a brutal beat down. Having experienced her ferocity himself, Natsu knew better than to voice his thoughts out loud.

On the other hand, the redhead was extremely caring and supportive. She always helped him out when needed, from teaching to him read and write or defending him against any gossip that let loose. He had to admit Erza was an amazing leader and did deserve the student principal position, even if she did use fear as a tactic. She was also an amazing friend. He grew up with Erza and Gray so, as expected he did get used to Erza's strictness and Gray's stripping habit.

His train of thought as well as Erza's queries were halted by the sudden burst of the door. In came a blonde. Her hair reached her waist, slightly dishevelled from her evident running. Luckily, it could be quickly fixed with a light pat-down. Her panting was audible from across the classroom where Natsu sat. She swiftly averted her eyes to Gildarts, he was just as aghast as the rest of the class. Her deep, brown eyes were filled with terror; they were wide and practically bulging out of their sockets. A first impression of being lately would definitely be frowned upon. However, this wasn't her first impression, this was Lucy and she wasn't the type to be tardy.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Gildarts asked, voice loaded with concern. Once she caught her breath, she shook her head slowly. "I'm fine… there was uh- traffic…" the gym coach studied her for a moment, as did the rest of the class. "It's not like you to be late you know, you're usually one of the early ones! I'll let you off this time only because it's the first day, take a seat," he replied, waving his hand away. However, he still appeared to seem wary. He wasn't the only one who thought the blonde seemed suspicious.

She scanned the room for an empty seat. Of course, everyone had already taken their seats, the only spare one being the one adjacent to Natsu. Suddenly, he regretted not choosing to sit next to Gray. Once you picked your seat in homeroom, you kept it for the rest of the academic year. She ambled towards his desk, eyes glued to the floor, ignoring the concerned looks her classmates gave her. As she sat down her thighs began to bounce in agitation. She was constantly fixing the collar on her blazer or ruffling the fabric of her skirt. Frankly, it was starting to bug Natsu.

He knew of Lucy as they had mutual friends but they weren't really close, only occasionally exchanging pleasantries. She seemed nice but, in his opinion, she was a bit too loud and bubbly. Fortunately for him, her angst seemed to have calmed down as Gildarts finished his briefing.

"Okay, so that's all you really need to know. I guess you guys can continue your conversations now, the bell goes off in a couple of minutes anyway."

Lucy turned to study the boy next to her. She already looked like she wanted to ask a lot of questions and Natsu was not in the mood to answer them. "Hey, Natsu! I'm glad we get to sit next to each other this year, now we can get to know each other more! I don't know why we haven't already, we have so many mutual friends! So, how have you been?"

Jesus Christ, she talked a lot. At the very least, she stopped fidgeting completely now. He was extremely grateful for that. "I'm good." He replied, not allowing her to create more conversation. His eyes focused forward, ready to zone out again. He was ready to bolt home and demand to have his bag refunded. Bitterness had completely consumed him over the past few hours. Did his father honestly expect him to keep the 'gift'?

His train of thought was again halted by Lucy. "So… pink?" she asked pointing towards the tufts on his head. So, she was one of those people. A judgemental prick. She was the type of person who thought it was necessary to make fun of people. He would definitely make sure to ask Gray's partner to swap seats with him later.

"I love it! I think it suits you really well."

He was taken aback by her words. His eyes widened, allowing the specs of emerald in them to radiate more brightly. No one had ever complimented his hair before, not that he could recall. They all laughed at, made fun of or slandered it. Even with his friends and family, they never really commented on it besides the occasional playful jibe. Maybe Lucy wasn't a judgemental prick after all. "Ya think so? Most people think I'm a weirdo because of it…"

Lucy let out a small chuckle. "Of course, I think so, why would I lie?" she frowned, eyes narrowing as stared at him. Her eyes were captivating, it was like her gaze was burning directly into his soul. He averted his eyes, feeling his cheeks begin to glow. "I guess I'm just used to people making fun of me for it… its annoying, ya know?" he muttered scratched the back of his tanned neck.

"If it bothers you so much, why don't you dye it?" If hair dye worked on his hair, he would have one less stress factor. Alas, it didn't work; it would only slightly darken or lighten his hair depending on the dye and wash out as fast as he put it in. The hair dye he used would always be cheap, off-brand bottles he brought from an unlicensed store but he was a certain part of the reason was because of his hair genetics. Knowing he wouldn't be able to afford anything stronger, he would never find out the truth – his silly hair problem wasn't worth putting his dad further in debt.

"That stuff doesn't work on my hair," he grumbled leaning back on his seat and crossing his arms. "Either my hairs' crazy strong or the dye I use is crazy weak." She nodded, frowning even more now. She looked like she genuinely felt bad for him; she had probably heard the nasty stuff other students have said about him too.

Abruptly, her eyes lightened as she slammed her fist into her hand. "I know!" She exclaimed, almost jumping out of her seat. "Why don't you come to my house this Saturday and we can try and dye it! If you're free, that is." This girl was full of surprises; he almost physically recoiled back at her suggestion. First, she likes his hair and now she wants to help him? It seemed too good to be true. It was too good to be true. There was no way he could afford to ask his dad for money to buy hair dye right after he emptied his wallet on a stupid designer bag.

"Sorry… I can't really uh- buy dye." He didn't want to admit he couldn't afford it; it would be completely humiliating. Natsu was thankful other students weren't aware of his financial state, knowledge of that would increase the teasing tenfold. He didn't really know Lucy yet so he wasn't certain that she wouldn't expose his business.

"Don't sweat it, I know you probably don't know which dye to buy so I'll be buying it if that's what you're worried about!" she gave him a large smile "So, are you in?" Natsu was more at ease now. At least he didn't have to waste money on dye now. However, he did feel sort of guilty for making Lucy buy the dye. On the other hand, it would allow him to hang out with her which seemed pleasant. His judgement on Lucy had done a complete 180 since she sat next to him. He actually found himself excited to make a new friend. Maybe his day wouldn't be so awful after all.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan."

Natsu was quick to rush home as soon as the school bell rang. His day at school was mediocre; Lucy had done a great job at removing the sour taste during homeroom. Sad to say, the bitter after taste was now prominent. He was starting to remember what rotted his mind that morning. The 'gift' clutching onto his shoulders.

He could already hear shuffling from inside the house when he arrived at the door. Enraged, he jammed his key into the door and marched inside. He wasted no time taking off his shoes or bag, he wanted to talk with him immediately.

"Dad!" He roared, stomping into the living room. He wanted to scream at him but he was instantly cut off with a shushing sound. "Ah, Natsu! Come over here and listen to this." The man was tall and muscular, his tanned skin was similar to his son's. He was leaning against the island counter in the kitchen, dark eyes fixed to the small television in the living room. He looked as if he just got off from work, still in a greased tee and overalls. Natsu rotated to face the TV, the local news was playing on the screen.

"This morning a businessman was attacked by a group of 4 men on Strawberry street. Witness reports say the group of men were unidentifiable but appeared to have been in a Local gang of some sort."

Natsu shifted to grab the remote and turn up the volume. Could it have been his doing? He would never attack out in the open like that, would he? He prayed it was just some local gang, otherwise, they could both be in danger.

"Magnolia police department recon the attack was grimoire heart's doing as the group of men were supposedly fully covered. However, a has witness claimed to have heard one of the men say 'The king is expecting payment'. The MPD has no clue as to what this means at this moment but further information on this case will be given at the 6 o'clock news-"

He muted the volume, immediately turning to stare at his father. "Yep, it was his doing alright." The older man sighed, staring into the living room carpet. He was shaking now, violently, he was terrified. "Calm down, Natsu, he's not going to hurt you." But the boy still looked incredulous "Or me, I can assure you that."

"Why did you buy that damn bag! You knew it was expensive! I told you I don't want gifts! I don't need them!" He choked out; words were stumbling over each other. He imagined the situation differently earlier. He imagined himself bellowing it out but now he could barely speak. His dad's attempt at comforting him was futile when there no complete guarantee they wouldn't be attacked at any moment.

"Natsu, I bought you that bag because the state of your old one was terrible! Even if I bought you a cheaper bag it wouldn't last long anyway – it would be wiser to just buy you one of quality," he reasoned back softly. He was silently hoping his son would stop worrying about their financial problem but he knew that hope would be valueless. "I told you, don't worry about the debt this is my problem and my fault I don't want you worrying about every little thing I buy you." He said, walking towards his son and rested his hand on his shoulder

Nothing would stop him from worrying about the money his dad spent on him. He knew what despicable things that man did to people who didn't repay their loans, he couldn't let his dad get hurt. "Stop that! I just told you to stop worrying. Don't worry, old man Igneel's got this!" Igneel's words were utterly ineffective, he knew this, he could still see the angst in Natsu's eyes.

"Look, I want you to go upstairs, have a hot shower, get some rest, watch some TV, do whatever – just chill out for a bit. Dinner will be ready at 7." The older man said turning the boy to face the staircase. Natsu muttered incoherent words under his breath as he trudging upstairs.

He would have to accept the gift after all.

AN: I'm back guys! (even though I deleted all my old stories so it looks like I've never posted before) Quarantine has got me writing fanfiction again, and honestly, I missed it so much. I've had the idea for Hair Dye for a while now so I hope you enjoy it! (By the way, I won't ever abandon a story, if I decide I cannot write a story anymore I'll either give a summarised ending or allow someone else to adopt it!)

So, what do you guys think of my writing? Is it good/bad? Too cliché or too vague? Please let me know through reviews! Also, to add: I don't have a regular update schedule I'll just update when I can so feel free to follow the story if you like.

Hope this was a good opening! And sorry if Natsu seems OOC,

Cya later! :D