I already mentioned that this is non canon compliant, but here's additional information I couldn't include in the story without sounding weird:
The Tenrou Arc, the Tartaros Arc, and the Alvarez Arc never happened and won't happen in this fic. Meaning that nobody knows where Zeref is, what he looks like, or if he's even alive. Nobody knows that Natsu is his demon and his brother. Gray isn't a devil slayer.
And, although I think I already mentioned this before: Ultear is still young.
I think that's the most important part. If there's any confusion, please don't hesitate to ask me, so I can clear up potential misunderstandings.
(Tissue warning!) Enjoy!
Natsu woke up feeling empty and powerless, trembling slightly. He considered turning around and lying in his bed for a while longer, but then he remembered that Gray had written something in his diary.
He reached blindly for it. The motion made him realize that the watch was back on his wrist, even though he hadn't put it back on.
He sat up, and leaned against the headboard before unlocking and opening the diary. Gray had put the sewed in bookmark between the pages he'd written on, so Natsu didn't need to search.
I love you from the bottom of my heart, Natsu.
His heart fluttered. This explained why Gray hadn't wanted him to see what he'd been writing... It sounded like the beginning of a very cheesy love letter. If somebody had told him a few days ago that Gray was a romantic, he would've laughed at that person.
Natsu gulped, trying to ignore the tingling in his eyes.
I never was in love with anyone else, and I can't imagine ever being in love with anyone that is not you. Even before I fell in love with you, I could never imagine a life without you. Today showed me that you feel the same way, and now I know you'd be just as miserable without me as I would be without you. So please, for the sake of both of us: don't ever give up until you find a way to save my life. I want to spend a long life with you by my side. Right now your body is pressed against mine. I've never felt so happy before, and yet I'm sad. My chest hurts when I think that our time is over soon and next time we see each other, I won't be able to remember a thing.
Natsu's eyes welled up, and his sight blurred. Sniffling, he wiped his eyes with the bed sheet before continuing to read.
I'd like to record all the things that happened between us today, all the kisses, touches, love confessions. All the silly things we said, the way we teased each other. I love every second of it. (I really don't know what I should do. I feel torn between asking you to wait with everything sexual until this is all over and telling you to) go ahead with it when you feel ready. I want to be able to remember, yet I don't want you to hold back when you want more. (Forget what I wrote. When you want it, go for it!)
A small laughter escaped his lips, but the tears wouldn't stop.
I know I asked you not to tell me about my death if possible, and it's still true that I'd prefer not knowing it if I had the choice, but here's another plea that's far more important: Please share your sorrow with me and let me help you. Please lean on me when it gets too much. Your mental health is far more important than my temporary worries. I'll make you promise. Please keep it.
I believe in you. You're strong, both physically and mentally. You'll find a way to save me, and then we can spend our lives together. Please always keep this in mind. Never give up. You're not alone. I'll always be there for you.
Natsu stared at the text for a while, tears running down his cheeks rapidly.
'Gray...'
He shut the diary and put it back on the bedside table. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With the next exhale, he pushed aside all negative thoughts, opening his eyes with firm resolution.
He took another deep breath, then blurted out, "I'm all fired up!" before dashing into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
When Natsu emerged from the bathroom, dressed only in a towel wrapped around his hips, he was in high spirits, but when he noticed Happy staring at him, wide eyed and crying, Natsu froze. Happy was sitting on his bed with the open diary lying in front of him. He'd forgotten to lock the diary before taking a shower. Stupid!
"N-Natsu... Th-that's not true, right?"
Natsu hung his head low, clenching his fists. "I wish it wasn't."
"B-but Gray belongs with you! He can't die!"
Natsu gulped, steeled himself internally, and met Happy's forlorn gaze. "Yeah. That's why I'll find a way to save him!"
Happy shouted with a teary voice, "Promise!" and Natsu couldn't help but smile sadly.
He'd already made so many promises nobody besides him would be able to remember. It showed how much they trusted and believed in him that they still wanted to squeeze a promise out of him.
"I promise." It went without saying that Natsu would find a way to save Gray, but if Happy wanted him to promise, then he would. It seemed to meet its purpose, seeing as Happy came flying right into his arms, crying even more than before.
Between sobs, Happy said, "I want... t-to live to-together... with y-you and G-Gray... w-we can be... a h-happy little fa-family..."
Natsu tightened his grip around Happy. "I want that, too. Come on, let's get ready to go, so we can do something about this situation."
"A-ayee!"
On their way to the guild hall, Happy asked some questions on what had happened the previous times and if he could help somehow. Natsu asked him to act normally until Erza and Lucy were there and Natsu started his explanation. He was carrying the diary in his rucksack, and he'd made sure that the key was well hidden in his scarf, so nobody would notice any difference at first, except for the fact that he was wearing a watch.
Natsu pondered whether to confess to Gray before he started his explanation or wait until he'd ask during the explanation, but when they reached the guild hall, he hadn't come to a conclusion yet.
Seeing Gray sitting there, bored and tired, playing with his glass of water, unaware of everything they'd done the previous time, unaware of Natsu's feelings, choked him up. Happy gave him a small pat on the shoulder before flying off to the bar. He'd probably meant it to be encouraging, but the effect was the opposite: Natsu needed all his self-control to fight back the tears that threatened to form in his eyes.
He went over to his usual place opposite of Gray, but he couldn't do anything besides stare at him.
Gray looked up, and apparently Natsu's expression showed all his emotions, since Gray's eyes widened.
"What's wrong?"
Natsu knew that even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to say more than a word or two, and his voice would be shaky, so he went for pulling his lower lip between his teeth and shaking his head.
Gray leaned forward, a worried look on his face. "It's unusual for you to be here this early in the morning. Did something happen?"
Again, the only thing Natsu could manage was mutely shaking his head. He couldn't stand seeing Gray's worried expression and know that he was probably thinking that Lucy was the reason for it.
Natsu registered that Erza had arrived at the guild hall, but he didn't take his attention off Gray.
"You don't look like nothing happened. Does it have something to do with Lucy?"
"N-no!"
"It's okay, you can tell—"
Natsu stood up abruptly, his fists clenched, arms shaking.
"Natsu?"
In a single bound, Natsu was on the other side of the table, right next to Gray, pulling him into a tight hug.
"N-Natsu, what—"
"Shut up," Natsu interrupted with a husky voice.
"B-but what are you...?"
Natsu tightened his grip, pulling Gray as close to himself as possible. Gray's heartbeat was incredibly fast, and when Natsu boldly snuggled his head against Gray's shoulder, Gray's pulse quickened even more.
"Can't you tell?"
"I... uh... h-hey, people are staring at us..."
Natsu grabbed Gray's hand and pressed it against his chest where his own heart was hammering against his ribcage. He brought his mouth close to Gray's ear, and then whispered, "So let them stare. All I care about right now is you. Do you understand?"
"N-not... really? What's gotten into you? Are you scared? Y-your heart is—"
"—beating fast because I'm close to you. It's always like that."
Natsu could hear Gray gulping. "S-so you mean... you're..."
Instead of answering, Natsu craned his neck and pressed his lips against Gray's. Gray gasped, didn't move for several seconds, but then pushed Natsu firmly away. He was short of breath, his face flushed.
"Are you... pulling my leg?"
Sighing, Natsu grabbed Gray's wrists, removed them from his shoulders, and intertwined their fingers. He stared at Gray head-on.
"I'm in love with you."
Gray flinched, and his eyes widened. "B-but what about—"
"Lucy? I'm not in love with her and never was. It's always been you. Lucy said I'm not hiding it very well..."
"She knew?"
Before Natsu could answer, Lucy tossed in, "Of course I knew, as did nearly everyone else." Natsu hadn't even noticed her entering the guild hall—he'd been too focused on Gray.
They both turned towards Lucy without letting go of each other. She lifted her hands in a defensive gesture. "You two go on, don't mind me or anybody else. You were in the middle of confessing." She blushed and averted her gaze.
Natsu turned back, smiling at Gray's expression—incredulous, flushed, and open mouthed.
"I... I need a moment to... process this." And with that, he removed his hands from Natsu's grip, and sat down.
Since everyone was present and Natsu didn't want to push Gray into giving an answer, he decided it was time for his explanation. So he opened his rucksack, pulled out the diary, jumped on the bar next to where Wendy was sitting, and then put the diary down on the bar next to his feet. Mirajane protested, but he ignored it. Before he started, a thought occurred to him: their master was surely also present, but in his office. So he dragged Makarov into the main hall before jumping on the bar once more.
Natsu used the same method of convincing his friends like he had the first time: admitting that he'd made mistakes which had led to Gray's death the first two times. Gray's reaction to being told that he was going to die in the evening resembled the previous ones: He didn't want to believe it at first, and when Natsu finally convinced him, he stared into space, his expression changing several times from desperation to terror to sadness.
Maybe Natsu should have given him time to stomach the information that his love was requited before giving him the bad news. Maybe he was asking too much of Gray. But then again, Gray was strong—he'd said so himself. And this would help him understand why Natsu acted this way, why he'd confessed so suddenly. Plus, if Natsu wanted to ask for advice on the prophecy, he would have to tell his friends everything, and Gray's death was undoubtedly the most important part of it all.
He'd decided that his guild mates needed to know the whole story before he read the prophecy out to them. That way they would fully understand what was going on, and actually be able to help him, as opposed to just dumping the prophecy on them without any explanation.
When Natsu was still in the middle of telling them the link between Ultear, Jellal, the oracle of the magic council and their current situation, the door flew open and revealed Juvia, Laxus, Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen.
"GRAY-SAMAAA!"
But before Juvia could get anywhere near Gray, Erza grabbed her collar, shook her head, and then nodded towards Gray, who was still sitting on the bench stiffly. He looked as if he hadn't even noticed their arrival. Juvia looked up at Erza, confusion written all over her face, but Erza just shook her head again and motioned her to sit down next to her. Juvia complied reluctantly.
Natsu gave the five of them a rough summary before continuing, just barely holding back a scowl in Juvia's direction. Whenever he wasn't checking on Juvia and her reactions, he looked at Gray, whose attention seemed to slowly come back to the present.
When he told the others that Gray was going to die, Juvia shrieked, about to throw herself at Gray, tears already in her eyes. But Gray chose exactly that moment to finally move something other than his facial muscles; he got to his feet, emanating an aura that obviously intimidated Juvia, seeing as she stopped halfway. And it wasn't just her—it was like the whole guild was holding their breath, waiting for Gray's next action. He slowly walked over to where Natsu was standing on the bar. Natsu belatedly realized that he, too, had stopped breathing, and sucked in a deep breath. Gray's eyes were hidden behind his long bangs, so Natsu wasn't sure if he should expect being punched, being yelled at, or something else entirely.
Gray hopped onto the bar next to Natsu, and Natsu flinched, raising his fists, expecting to be hit the next second. But when Gray's gaze met his, Natsu dropped them immediately. Gray's eyes were soft, telling Natsu that if anything, he should prepare to be kissed. And indeed, Gray wrapped his fingers around Natsu's chin a second later, tilting his head upwards, and then leaned down to press his lips against Natsu's.
Everything that wasn't Gray's lips on his or Gray's hands on his body faded from his consciousness. He'd closed his eyes when he'd seen Gray closing his, shortly before their lips met, so everything he could do was feel, and god did that feel intense. He wondered if their kisses would ever cease to take his breath away or make his knees go weak.
When Gray brought his arms around Natsu's back, Natsu leaned in gratefully. He wasn't sure his knees would have supported his weight any longer otherwise.
Even though Natsu was oblivious to everything that was happening around them, he was aware that they were doing this in front everyone. The realization hit him just then that Gray wasn't the least bit ashamed of this, of Natsu and being in love with him. Natsu hadn't given it a real thought before, but Gray seemed to be proud of being with him. He probably also wanted to publicly stake a claim on Natsu, just like Natsu did.
His knees gave out, and he slumped against Gray, the motion breaking their kiss. Gray reacted quickly by tightening his grip around Natsu's body until he was supporting both of their weights.
Being held like this in Gray's strong arms, almost protectively, felt wonderful. Like Gray was telling him 'it's okay to be weak, I'll always be here to catch you'. It made Natsu's heart race even more.
The awareness of what was happening around them slowly came back to Natsu. Juvia was halfway to the bar, frozen in mid-action, staring at them with eyes as wide and shocked as Natsu had never seen them be before. Laxus and Freed stared at them wide-eyed, a blush on their faces. Evergreen and Bixlow smiled broadly, showing them a thumbs-up with one hand and high fiving with the other. Evergreen then looked over to Laxus and Freed, nudging Laxus in the side. Laxus blushed even more, and shoved her. Gajeel, who had been asleep when Natsu confessed to Gray, had a teasing grin on his face. Reedus was painting—again. Makarov's chin was on the floor, and he made a constant 'ah' sound. The rest looked flustered, but happy.
When Natsu looked up at Gray, he noticed that Gray's attention was fixed on Juvia, swallowing. Gray didn't loosen his grip on Natsu even a fraction when he talked.
"I'm sorry, Juvia. My heart belongs to Natsu, and has for a long time already. I tried to tell you to give up, but you never wanted to listen..."
Juvia stared at Gray in disbelief for a few moments, then opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat.
"Th-that's a clever plan, b-but don't you think that goes a bit too far? Kissing your rival in front of the whole guild just to make me give up on you?"
Natsu's knees weren't wobbly anymore, so he wanted to straighten himself, give Gray freedom to move, but Gray tightened his grip on Natsu to keep him right there in his arms.
"It's not a plan, Juvia. It's the truth. I'm in love with Natsu."
Hearing these words sent a shiver down Natsu's spine. Gray didn't know how far they'd gotten the previous times since he hadn't included that part in his explanations. He could probably guess, but for all Gray knew, this could be the very first time he confessed.
"N-no, I refuse to believe this!"
Lucy walked over to Juvia and put her hand on Juvia's shoulder. "Whether you believe it or not, that won't change the fact that they're together now, and that you should stop molesting Gray."
"But they're rivals!"
Gray let out a sigh. "Yes, we are. We're rivals, friends, and now also—" he looked down at Natsu questioningly, and Natsu gave him a small nod and a reassuring smile— "a couple."
"B-but Gray-sama—"
"ENOUGH!" Makarov roared, then slammed a giant fist into the floor right before Juvia. "I want my children to be happy, and even I noticed what's been going on between Natsu and Gray lately. Let them be happy, now that they finally found love. They're suffering enough as it is. Step back."
Natsu couldn't see Juvia since their master's fist was blocking his view, but after a moment he heard Juvia sob and storm out of the guild hall. Well, that was another way of dealing with her. He wouldn't have expected Makarov to take a side for them. He still felt bad for Juvia, but there was just no nice way of breaking somebody's heart.
Makarov's fist shrunk to normal size again. "If the situation wasn't that sad, I'd invite you all to drink to the happiness of two of our family members... but like this, all I want to say is 'congratulations' and 'I'm happy for you', and now let's hear the rest of your story and tell us how we can help."
Natsu nodded thankfully. He straightened himself and this time Gray let him, but he stayed standing next to Natsu throughout the whole explanation. Somewhere in the middle, Gray picked up the diary and inspected it curiously.
When Natsu finally got to the part where he wanted to read out the text of the prophecy, Gray handed it over to him. Natsu pulled the key from under his scarf, opened the lock and read out the text while covering the rest of the entries with his hand as best as he could.
"When winter fades,
And past rewinds,
But future can't be swayed,
Summer must form a bond,
With the hateful yet loved rival.
Giving up a part of itself,
Igniting a burned out fire,
Fire can light up Darkness,
And prevent the world from falling apart."
The whole guild was silent for a few heartbeats, and then many people started talking at once. It was impossible to listen to everyone, so Makarov slammed his fist on the floor once more to silence them and remind them that they were searching for a solution together. He then took the freedom to offer his opinion first.
"I think what the first part means is clear. About the last bit... When I hear 'darkness' along with the threat that the world might fall apart... The one who comes to my mind first is Zeref."
There were gasps and shrieks, and Natsu just gaped at their master in disbelief. He noted that Gray's fists were clenched and shaking.
"Zeref," Gray spat out. His face was scary, almost as if Zeref was standing right in front of him.
Natsu interjected, "But... how? Nobody has seen him in centuries, I thought he's dead?"
Makarov shook his head, a solemn expression on his face. "When Precht passed on the title of the Guild Master to me, he once accidentally mentioned Zeref in a way that sounded like he knew that Zeref was still alive. When I asked him about it, he looked shocked and told me to forget what he said. Chances are that he's indeed alive and hiding somewhere."
Ignoring the gasps from his guild mates, Natsu quickly shut the book and put it back down on the bar, not bothering to lock it. Then he put his hand on Gray's shoulder, making him flinch.
"Gray. Please, relax. It's just a theory and even if it's true, Zeref isn't here."
Gray turned towards Natsu, his expression grim. "How do you know he's not hiding somewhere close? Jellal has been following us for two days without you noticing, don't you think you may have overlooked another follower? Maybe he's causing my death, finishing what his demons started."
Natsu flinched at the viciousness in Gray's voice, but he had to admit that it would indeed be a logical explanation. However, Natsu was sure that Zeref wasn't following them—he'd been very attentive of his surroundings most of the time since Day Three.
"He's not around. I've been paying close attention since the third time. There's nobody besides Jellal following us or I would've noticed. If he's close, then he's hiding somewhere I haven't gone before."
Gray didn't look convinced.
Lucy rose to her feet, and said, "But then what's with the 'Fire can light up Darkness'? That would mean that Natsu must show Zeref light to save Gray and 'prevent the world from falling apart'? Meaning Natsu has to persuade Zeref not to kill Gray somehow? Or could it mean... Natsu must set Zeref on fire...?"
Gray stamped on the bar, so hard Natsu feared the wood might break if he did it again. "Persuade Zeref? Don't make me laugh! The last thing you said makes much more sense. Let's search and defeat him." He looked right at Natsu, fiery resolve in his eyes.
"Err..." Natsu trailed off, not knowing what to answer. Gray was driven by revenge, which Natsu could understand, but it wasn't at all helpful at the moment. "That's just a theory. Nothing's proven yet. Does anyone have another idea? And let's also not forget about the other lines. They still don't make sense to me."
Gray glared at Natsu, but when Natsu shot him a pleading look, he clenched his teeth and nodded reluctantly.
It turned out that nobody had another idea of what 'Darkness' could mean, and they all thought it made sense that it referred to Zeref. Most were convinced that the text implied a peaceful approach towards Zeref, which enraged Gray. It took great effort to keep him from running berserk, but when they'd finally managed to calm him down, Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray's torso, meaning to soothe him. Gray tensed up at first, but then he seemed to make up his mind. He sighed and brought his arms around Natsu.
The rest of the discussion was rather unhelpful. They didn't know what to make of the 'burned out fire', since Natsu wasn't the one who was dying. When they talked about the possibility that it was referring to Gray's death, and that Natsu would have to revive him, nobody could come up with a viable solution, since not even Porlyusica was able to revive him.
Nobody had the slightest idea what 'giving up a part of himself' could mean, except that Natsu would have to sacrifice something.
At the end of the discussion, they agreed only on one thing: Natsu would have to find Zeref. And if Gray was with him, then Natsu would have to make him promise not to attack before they even tried to talk to Zeref. Gray shot everyone who agreed an angry glare, saying that there was no way he'd hold back against the mage who killed his family. They somehow managed to convince him that it was important to at least try. Upon being asked what could make Gray hesitate to attack Zeref, he said that Natsu should make him believe that either Gray or Natsu would die if they did something rash. Probably the threat of endangering Natsu's life would work better, he admitted with a grumble.
They also talked about priorities: First, search for Zeref, or check if the mission went well if they sent Gajeel instead of Natsu and Gray. Natsu favored the opinion that they should first ensure the success of the mission, also because he couldn't lie to Gray about the consequences of a reckless attack on Zeref, and Gray seemed reluctant to refrain from attacking Zeref. Everyone agreed, and Gray kept silent, so the decision came naturally: They'd go on the mission again, with Natsu and Gray hiding out of sight.
Natsu also addressed the topic that, if their enemies hadn't lied, the fact that Bubble's father had gone missing was the reason why they needed money. He had to admit that he was in a blind rage the second time he went on that mission, that he hadn't even thought about the possibility of resolving the situation in another way. Lucy suggested they try to offer their help instead of accepting the enemy's conditions. The thought of helping the one who'd taken Gray's life twice was repulsive to Natsu, but the others talked insistently to him until he saw that they had a point. They'd still take Gajeel in case that plan failed.
When everything was finally settled, Natsu's head was spinning, tired of all the talking. Who could endure such a situation on a regular basis? Just talking and talking, never taking action. He'd never become a member of the magic council, that was for sure.
He just wanted to retreat into a silent corner, relax a bit, maybe make out with Gray, anything, just not talking. He had no such luck. As soon as the discussion was over, Laxus, who had moved to the entrance, waved Natsu to come over. Wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible, Natsu sighed and followed the request.
Laxus lead them a bit away from the guild, then stopped in an abandoned street, turning towards Natsu.
"Jellal didn't follow us, right?"
"No. He's only observing Gray."
"Okay then." Laxus gulped, and Natsu noticed a faint blush on his cheeks. What was he on about? "You said this is the sixth time?"
Natsu nodded, staring at Laxus expectantly.
"I was wondering... Evergreen and Bixlow are trying to get me to make a move on Freed, now that the two of you finally got your shit together. The thing is... If time will be turned back anyway, then I think I could find the courage to actually do it. Because even if he rejects me, I'll forget it in some hours."
Natsu raised his eyebrow. "I don't think he'll reject you, but yes, you'd probably forget it."
"I want to ask a favor of you. If I make a move on Freed now, and he reciprocates my feelings, then would you kick my ass until I make a move on him again after the whole situation is resolved and time doesn't turn back anymore?"
Natsu nearly said, 'there's no if, Freed obviously likes you too,' but that would be unfair and also hypocritical, seeing as he himself hadn't noticed Gray's obvious attraction either. So instead, he gave Laxus an encouraging nod, and said, "Sure thing. Good luck."
Laxus' blush intensified, and Natsu could tell that he was getting more nervous with each step they took towards the guild. By the time they reached the entrance, Laxus was trembling and sweating, and his heart raced wildly. Before they entered, Natsu gave him a reassuring smack on the back, which made Laxus lose his balance and sent him crashing headfirst into the wooden door.
"Um... are you okay?" Natsu asked carefully.
The hasty apology and assertion that he was indeed alright didn't look very convincing to Natsu, but he didn't comment. When they entered the guild hall, Laxus wobbled straight to Freed, and Natsu couldn't help but shoot worried and curious looks over his shoulder when he walked towards Gray, who was sitting alone at the usual table, deep in thought. He jumped when Natsu flopped down beside him.
"Dammit, flame-brain! At least say something!"
"You be more attentive of your surroundings, stupid stripper!"
Gray glared at him, but when Natsu slumped against his side and rested his head against Gray's shoulder, the ice mage blushed. Letting out a content hum, Natsu closed his eyes and focused his attention on Laxus and Freed's conversation on the other end of the guild.
"—strange, so just spit it out."
"I-it's nothing."
"Then why are you acting like you're about to freak out?"
"Th-that's because..." Laxus took a deep breath. "Because... I... uh..."
"Come on, tell me. You're scaring me..."
"P-promise you won't get mad."
"Of course I won't, dummy. I doubt there's anything you could say to make me mad."
"Not even if I..." He trailed off.
"If you what?"
Natsu heard rustling of clothes, and then a shocked gasp from Freed. Natsu's eyes opened on their own volition, and his head turned towards the pair. Laxus was kissing Freed while the rune mage was staring at him wide-eyed. Laxus broke the kiss before Freed had the chance to react or reciprocate.
"I... I love you, Freed."
Freed just stared at Laxus, flabbergasted.
Gray shifted behind Natsu, swinging one leg on the other side of the bench, and pulled Natsu backwards until his ass was pressed against Gray's inner thighs and—Natsu gulped—his crotch. To make it more comfortable, Natsu also put one leg on the other side and leaned backwards until his back was flush to Gray's front.
"Are these two finally making progress?"
"Yes. Laxus just kissed him and confessed."
"For real?"
"Yes and now shut up, I wanna hear his answer."
Gray complied with a grumble, and just in that moment Freed opened his mouth to answer.
"Please do that again."
"Wha—"
But Freed interrupted him by yanking Laxus in by the shirt, slotting their mouths together.
"Fair answer," Gray commented, and pressed a soft kiss to Natsu's cheek. Natsu craned his neck so that he could look Gray in the eyes, his heart speeding up. They didn't hesitate to lean in for a real kiss.
The position was awkward and not comfortable at all, but Natsu endured it for as long as he could. When he broke their kiss to relax his neck, he found Lucy standing next to the bench, the diary in her hands, looking flustered.
"Um... here. You forgot this."
With a start, Natsu remembered that he hadn't bothered locking the diary before he left the guild hall, and indeed, the lock was dangling from the diary, open. He snatched it away from Lucy's hands.
"You didn't read it, right?"
Lucy tensed up, looking guilty, and that was all the answer Natsu needed. He narrowed his eyes. Lucy took a defensive pose, waving her arms before her body, asking for forgiveness.
"S-sorry! We thought that it's okay, since you didn't lock it..."
"We?"
Lucy's eyes widened in horror, and she bit her lip.
"W-well... uh... Wendy didn't read it!"
'Oh god... does that mean everyone else read it?!'
When he thought of all that was written in there, Natsu's cheeks heated up.
Lucy dropped to her feet, a pleading expression on her face.
"We're sorry! We really thought it was okay to read it, since you just left it there and we'll forget anyway..."
Well, she had a point there. He'd only have to endure the shame for the rest of the day, and then everyone would forget. Natsu let out a sigh.
"It's not like I can change it anymore."
Lucy's eyes lit up momentarily. She quickly rose to her feet, bowed, and then scurried off towards the bar, where most of the girls were gathered. They were giggling, but when they saw Lucy's face, their smile fell. They looked nervously over to Natsu, but Natsu just rolled his eyes, then closed them, and let his body slump back against Gray's again.
"Hey, Gray?"
"Mhh?"
"Why didn't you take the diary?"
Gray tensed up. "I was distressed. I didn't notice. I still am distressed... a little."
A pang of guilt surged through Natsu's body. He reached behind for Gray's hands, pulled them so that they were resting on Natsu's stomach, and entwined their fingers.
"I'm sorry. That was quite a mouthful for you..."
"It's okay. You needed to make good use of the little time you had."
Gray tightened his grip, pulling Natsu even closer. "Besides... Having you so close is relieving the distress. I'm okay now... well, as okay as I can be, considering the circumstances."
Natsu didn't know what to answer, so he just squeezed Gray's hands.
Please review. The only thing that could possibly happen if you do is this: you could make me happy.
Heads-up! I'm not sure yet when I can post the next chapter, since I'm at my mother's for Christmas. It might come a day late.
Also, it's been a year since I first started writing fics in English! I've come so far, learned so many new words and phrases, wow! Thanks to everyone for your support :))
Thanks for reading! I wish you all a merry Christmas ^_^
Review answer time! (some Guest Reviews on this Chapter)
1. "Natsu and Gray sometimes seem overly romantic. Just seems a little weird." - Yes, they are very romantic in this fic, that's right. But why can't they be? They never confessed to anyone in canon after all, so we don't know whether they're romantic or not. We can just guess, and this is my very personal interpretation. Your interpretation is different, and that's legit.
"Also, I know there's not much you can do since they're stuck in a Groundhog loop, but some parts are getting repetitive. I try to skim through that but I end up missing important parts." - I tried my best to sum up all the repetitive elements in one or two short sentences, a paragraph at most, because I also hate repetition, and I know it's boring. Sometimes it's necessaray to repeatedly (briefly) mention some actions or it'll get illogical/confusing. Also, please don't tell a writer that you 'skimmed through' something, because writers put thought into every word and every sentence. You can skim through as much as you want, but there's no need to tell me. And, as you already noticed, you end up missing important information if you do, so I'd recommend reading everything, even if one or two sentences are boring—there might be something new hidden in them.
"Your English is great though, as well as the grammar, spelling, and punctuation, so kudos." - Yay, thanks! ^^
2. "... Now for some things that confused me or I do not agree with (I hope you do not get too upset)" - I don't get upset over such things, don't worry ^^ Quite the opposite, because no matter how much I try to fix plotholes, there's always something I forget about, so I need my readers to tell me.
"1. You said this happened before Tenrou, and that Tenrou would not happen. But, Ultear and Jellal teamed up after that arc to like atone for their crimes. Before Tenrou happened, Ultear still hated her mother and was Zeref obsessed and unrepentant. And if this implies that Ultear and Jellal were still on the council, then they should not have much reason to help Fairy Tail out, right?" - I completely twisted canon, tore it apart, re-arranged some things, changed many many things. You're right, they wouldn't have a reason to help them if you just removed the Tenrou Arc. I haven't thought about that to be honest! So, let's imagine that something else happened instead. e.g. Grimoire Heart needed to find something else first to find out Zeref's location. Fairy Tail somehow noticed, found them, and the fight took place somewhere else. Zeref was never found, Grimoire Heart shattered, Ultear found out the truth, stopped obsessing over Zeref, and Crime Sorciére formed. Something like that.
"2. I am assuming Zeref has a big role in the prophecy, but just the idea of 'DarknessZeref' seemed like a bit of a stetch. I guess there is nothing too worng with how this theory turned out; it just seemed a little choppy to me. But I cannot complain too much, since I can imagine that such a transition from a vague prophecy to a bigger plot would be difficult to make smooth." - Oh. Yeah. That may come across like that. I edited what Makarov said: "About the last bit... When I hear 'darkness' along with the threat that the world might fall apart... The one who comes to my mind first is Zeref." I think it might sound more logical now...? ^^ Also, thanks so much for your praise ^_^
3. THANKS to the very attentive Guest who noticed that Natsu shouldn't know Zeref's scent! I changed the sentences Natsu said ("He's not around. I've been paying close attention since the third time. There's nobody besides Jellal following us or I would've noticed. If he's close, then he's hiding somewhere I haven't gone before."), so I hope everything is logical now :) If there's still a logical mistake somewhere, please tell me!
4. Thanks to everyone else who's left a review on any chapter! I read all of them multiple times to cheer myself up :))