chapter 4
also, I'm playing it safe and adding a
TRIGGER WARNING
touches on the sensitive topic of R***
Natsu stirred awake before trying to rub the sleep from his eye as he sat up.
He takes a look at his surroundings "where am I?" He said with a yawn.
"Good morning!" This spooked him a little before looking at the source. It was Ur walking into the living room before sitting down across from him in a recliner.
He took a look around him before all color drained away from his face as fear took over.
Ur stifled a giggle at this, knowing he'd freaked out waking up in the house of the girl he likes as her mother stares him down.
She would let him know he's fine but decided to wait a little bit. How often does the mother get the chance to scare the boy her daughter is smitten with.
"I didn't do anything pervy with your daughter. You have to believe me, please!" He said, falling off the couch only to bow before Ur, hoping she wasn't mad at him.
She just sat there and stared at him with a smile putting him on edge as his face got whiter and whiter. Finally, after a couple of minutes, she decided to bail him out.
"Relax, Natsu, I know you didn't do anything bad. I checked when I got home!"
Color gradually returned to his face, and he took several deep breaths to calm himself down.
"So, mind filling me in on what happened after you two left?"
By this time, he sat up with his back against the sofa. With a questioning look, it's clear to Ur he was trying to remember everything understandable when waking up a minute ago.
"The drive home was silent, I was about to head home, but she stopped me when she gripped my hand. It was clear to me she didn't want to be alone, so I stayed with her."
"I figured that would happen, but can you go into further detail?" Ur could see the reluctance in his eyes. She had a few guesses what that meant.
Taking a deep inhale before exhaling, "she led me to her room dragging down to the floor out back against the bed frame." Then, after a long silence, he continued,
"I could tell she was telling me what I needed to know when she was dating Gray. And how he tried to corner, but that's all she told before we Um...kissed," he said that last part looking away.
Ur didn't even bother to hide her giggling when she heard the word kiss come out of his mouth before dawning a severe look as her mind went back to Gray.
"She has the right to her privacy, and I want to respect that, but…" he couldn't finish.
With a sigh, "I don't know the specifics. But, from what Ultear told me, she made the mistake of giving him a second chance. He invited her to a party and tried to slip something into her drink. Fortunately, Erza was there, she found out what his plan was, she told Ultear, and together they switched the drinks, so he took the drug. Then, when the time was right, she kicked you know where and left with Erza!"
"Thank you for telling me, and this will be our little secret for the time being. unless there is anything else, I'll leave now."
"Ok, then I'll see you later, Natsu" she walked over, holding the door for him to leave. He gave a farewell smile as he walked home.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Natsu is greeted with the dark blue sky of the early morning.
"I guess I can do my morning exercises with everyone still asleep," he thought to himself as he stepped into his home.
The first thing he noticed was his father, brother, and Mavis sleeping in the living room of his aunt's home.
He felt guilty for inadvertently making them stay overnight since he worried them when he abruptly left with Ultear.
He carefully and silently went upstairs to get ready for his exercise. It took a few minutes before slowly going back downstairs.
As soon as he reached the landing, he stopped dead in his tracks, standing before him, his brother Zeref dressed in the same outfit.
"You gonna stand there, or are we gonna work out!" He held the door open for Natsu, who complied.
"I take it you wanna talk about last night, bro?"
"Yes, and it's been a while since we worked and trained together" with those words, they went into a light jog.
Unknown to The brothers, Wendy saw the whole exchange through her window.
Her female mind immediately took control, calling up the girls to meet them at Ultear's house.
She knew it would be at least two hours before The Dragneel brothers returned.
Within 20 minutes, all the girls were sitting in the living room of Milkovich's residence, including Mavis.
Mother and daughter sat beside each other. Ultear is still in yesterday's clothes.
All eyes were on Ultear, who couldn't lift her head to face them. When she finally did, they all had grins aimed right towards her.
"Care to enlighten us about last night?" Mira asked with a smile everyone knew was fake.
Each one had a Devious look. It's clear to her she wasn't going to weasel out of this.
Taking a deep inhale then exhaling, she recounted everything that happened when she ran into Gray to when she called it a night to get some sleep.
They all had borderline sinister smirks aimed at Ultear. She, of course, was visibly nervous, knowing her friends won't let this go so quickly.
"Is that all that happened last night!" Mira teased
"MIRA!"
"That isn't a no!" Ultear just looked away, not wanting to be part of Mira's game.
"Was he a good kisser?" This time it was Erza to speak with a smirk of her own.
Once again, all eyes landed on Ultear, hoping for an answer. But, of course, she would have asked earlier but waited for Mira to speak after knowing her for so long.
Pink dusted Ultear cheeks, with a reluctant tone "it was magical, not forceful like you guess. It was soft and gentle, and I wished it would last a little longer!" She held a small smile.
All the girls squealed at this, including Ur "so what are gonna do, Ultear?"
"I'm not sure. I finally found happiness after so long I'm not gonna let it slip through my finger! She said with conviction, causing her audience to giggle.
Natsu and Zeref are halfway done with their Exercises. So they take a break getting some sports drinks to stay energized.
"Knowing Wendy and Mavis, no doubt they're chatting about what you and Ultear did last night?" Zeref said with a cheeky grin.
"Not surprising after being around her friends since day one!" Natsu retorted.
"So, mind telling your older brother what happened last night?" He didn't let up on his grin as he rested against the brick wall of 711.
Natsu knew it was pointless to hide it. That is probably why his brother joined him for his morning run.
After fighting his brother's gaze for about five minutes, he gave in, telling him what Ultear told him.
He was cautious with his tone and words hoping to hide his conversation with Ur once he woke up.
"Hmm, that's the brother I know and love!" He brought him into one arm hug.
"What do you think they're talking about?"
"Based on my behavior, no doubt Ultear told them about last night. They're probably thinking of ways to lock me down as some women do!" They both chuckled.
"Would that be such a bad thing!" He lightly elbows his younger brother with a cheeky grin once again, causing Natsu to blush.
Natsu didn't respond with words. Instead, he took off only for Zeref to match his pace as they headed home.
After about an hour, they made it home to see the car of the Strauss siblings.
"No doubt the girls are still talking about last night," Natsu said with a sigh.
"Shouldn't surprise you since women are like that," Zeref said snarkily, only for Natsu to bolt for the door.
They head inside to see Igneel passed out with TV running "dibs on the shower!" Zeref yelled, running to the bathroom.
10 minutes later, Zeref came out for Natsu to run in.
Natsu's shower was out in five minutes before heading upstairs. He came back down in blue jeans tennis shoes with a red T-shirt.
His father is still passed out on the couch. He carefully headed to the kitchen to see both Zeref and Grandeeney at the kitchen table.
"When do you think Wendy and Mavis will be back?" He asked more to himself than his audience.
"Another Hour at the most is my guess," Zeref answered.
"Oh, that's so naive of you to say, Zeref!" Grandeeney said in a sing-song voice, putting the brothers on edge from her tone.
The brothers cringed. The two silently agreed to drop it for now.
Needing something to do in the meantime, they head back upstairs to Natsu's room to play video games.
Zeref brought not only his but his brother's system and set them up in Natsu's room.
"PlayStation or Xbox?" Natsu asked his brother.
"Hmm, I'm in the mood to kill aliens with an op pistol!"
"Master Chief Collection it is then!"
Within five minutes, they are co-op Halo CE anniversary going through level after level.
A good four hours later, in the middle of doing the library, they heard the door downstairs open only to close.
They paused their game before heading downstairs to see Wendy walk in before collapsing on the couch.
Mavis found her spot on the recliner, letting out a yawn before falling asleep herself.
They go back to their game a few hours later they on the warthog run on the maw.
They finished with 20 seconds to spare on the timer, both let out a sigh of relief from the adrenaline rush the time gives.
They stood and stretched from being hunched over for several hours on end.
"I smell dinner!" Natsu said.
Zeref followed him downstairs to see Igneel, Grandeeney, Mavis, and Wendy sitting at the table.
"Wondering when you two would come downstairs," Igneel said as he tapped the table with his fingertips.
The brothers shared a nervous look before finding their places at the table.
Dinner for the night was spaghetti and meatballs, which is unusual in Japan.
The whole time during dinner, Natsu couldn't shake the gaze Wendy and Mavis were sending him.
He did his best to ignore it, but it didn't help the others joined in on the fun.
He glared at his brother and dad. They chuckled in Response.
Natsu checks the clock to see it's 8:00 pm, it was clear to him Igneel, Zeref, and Mavis will be staying another night.
He did his dishes and went to bed, ignoring the amused look his relatives were sending him.
Around noon, Igneel, Zeref, and Mavis headed home, leaving Natsu with his aunt and cousin.
Natsu decided to stay in his room for the remainder of the day. Wanting to avoid the gaze of his cousin and aunt.
Then he remembered the class project he still needs to complete. So he pulled out his phone and, with great reluctance, texted Ultear.
"Ultear, it's me, Natsu, one we still have that class project to work on two hope everything's fine on your end?" After a few minutes, he got a response.
"Completely forgot about the project and minus some teasing, everything good on my end, and hope for the best for you! :D"
They continued texting back and forth for hours, going over every detail for the project before calling it a night.
The following day like always, Ultear rode to school with Natsu and Wendy.
Wendy saw both were noticeably happier. Being the nice girl she is, she kept it to herself.
The school day, for the most part, was uneventful till he reached gym class.
So far, he has kept the tattoo hidden by an under armor t-shirt under his regular clothes.
Mr. Clive has been keeping an eye on his locker area to keep the more rowdy student in line.
Then the usual locker room talk came up, much to Natsu's annoyance.
"Yo Natsu," a hotshot guy going by the name of Jet, called out.
"What is it?"
"Don't what me word spread your turning into a legend with how close you are to Ultear!" he said suggestively.
It took all of Natsu's willpower not to react to his tone. Instead, he quickly put his gym clothes on and walked away.
That last thing he wants is to add more wood on the fire of the rumors attacking Ultear.
Jet just shrugged before getting ready for his respective class.
Fortunately for Him, besides Mr. Clive, Natsu has an ally to keep his secret safe.
The person in question is Erza's childhood friend Jellal. Both take weight lifting.
In fact, Natsu is tied with him for who had the max bench press, 100 kilos each.
Natsu's favorite part about weightlifting is keeping in shape under the radar.
What he likes the most is how friendly his classmates are.
They all cheer each other on when someone reaches their max weight.
That gave him some hope of getting a few more allies with him being smitten with Ultear.
Unfortunately, some of his classmates are getting suspicious about why he always wears under armor.
One person in question is Max. He is known for being a player and is the leading cause of many broken hearts.
Unfortunately, he's not the only ones. In fact, they're constantly trying one-up each other, with the ultimate prize being Ultear.
His latest encounter with Gray has proved anything is his unyielding will to keep his emotion in check.
The last thing he needs is to lose control and cause even more problems.
Weightlifting is always uneventful, except for his classmates in amazement at the weight he and Jellal are pushing.
Speaking of weight, both have a new max weight of 110 kilos. The next guy in line is doing 50 kilos.
In fact, Natsu and Jellal are spotters for each other since it's doubtful anyone in their period can lift anywhere close to them.
Once class finished, Natsu again had to deal with locker room talk till the bell let them out for their next class.
"Yo Natsu!" Jet said once again.
"What?"
"This has been bothering me since you moved here. Why do you always wear under armor?"
Natsu silently groaned, he knew this would come up, and his prayers for it to take longer were in vain.
"It's private!"
"Oh, come on, you gotta give us something."
"Fine, I got into an accident a while back, leaving a permanent mark on my back," they didn't need the whole truth. He hopes this is enough to satisfy them.
"It can't be that bad. Let us take a look" Jet grabs the bottom of his shirt only for Natsu to grip Jets hand, turning to face him firmly.
Jet tried his best to break free from Natsu's insanely firm grip. "I said it's private" he didn't let up.
A look of Anguish is taking root on Jet's face as he continues his struggle to break free from Natsu's grip.
"What's going on here!" Mr. Clive shouts, standing overhead.
Natsu let go of Jet's wrist. "Jet asked why I wear under armor and tried to take it off to see the mark on my back," he deadpanned.
He stared Jet down with hardened eyes putting the boy on edge "keep your hand to yourself, Jet!" he continued his stair.
Jet started shaking before considering, "yes sir and sorry, Natsu."
"Just don't do it again," he said with a sigh before the bell went off.
Natsu mentally signs as no doubt within two days max, word of this will reach the entire school.
A couple of hours later, school let out, and like always, Natsu gave Ultear a ride home.
"So, how was school Natsu?" Wendy asked
"Same old same old. Except for Jet trying to see what I keep hidden with my under armor."
"Did he manage to see?" this time, it was Ultear to ask.
"I hope not. I grabbed his wrist just as he grabbed my shirt."
"I'd really hate to be jet at that moment," Wendy said with a giggle knowing how strong Natsu is.
"Same here," Ultear added.
"I did have back up from Mr. Clive. Hopefully, that will end things for good."
"Don't get your hopes up," Ultear said
"I know" Wendy stifled a giggle at this display. They aren't official. But you can make the mistake of thinking they're an item.
Instead of going straight to her mother's, Ultear went to Wendy's house since she has a project with Natsu that needs finishing.
Natsu is a little nervous about this. However, he quickly stated they'll work on it in the living room.
Ultear ultimately agreed with him. She knows Natsu won't do anything terrible but definitely helps calm her nerves.
She could tell it calmed him as well. He doesn't want to ruin what they have right now.
They spent two hours on it, a quick phone call, and Ur stopped by before all five of them decided to get ramen.
The teens took Natsu's car, and Ur and Grandeeney took Ur's car.
The place in question is called old Magnolia. Fiore city used to be called Magnolia over 80 years ago.
The ramen shop is one of the oldest restaurants in the city. Their old name was treasure hunters ramen shop.
They changed it to old magnolia to honor their founder Yuri Dreyer who passed away shortly after the name change to the city.
Suddenly Laxus Dreyer finished everyone's order giving them each a bowl of ramen.
"If only your great grandfather could see what you guy have done with his shop," Grandeeney said.
"Don't let gramps hear that. He's bound to break out in tears rivaling most anime," he counters
The back door opened to reveal Ivan walking in with presumed groceries to restock.
Except for Natsu, everyone present is put on edge.
"Someone mind filling me in?" he asked.
"My grandpa and my father had a falling out a few years ago. He wanted to be part of the family business again. The catch is he has to start over from square one," he informed.
"That good to know" he took another bite from his beef-flavored ramen.
With a smug grin, "Natsu, I've heard a rumor about you before school let out mind explaining," Laxus said with a shit-eating grin.
Natsu visibly cringed only to see all eyes on him wanting to know more.
"Fine, Jet asked why I always wear under armor. He tried to lift my shirt, but I caught his hand just in time. I may have used a little more force than necessary," he said in defeat.
Laxus didn't even bother hiding his chuckle while the girl giggled from his words.
Natsu just focuses on eating his ramen, hoping they'll let it go.
"More please!" he pushed his empty bowl forward.
Laxus obliges, giving him a second bowl he eats with gusto filling his empty stomach to the brim.
They stayed at the ramen shop for another half hour before calling it a night.
"See ya tomorrow Laxus!" Natsu waves goodbye.
"You too!" He waves back.
"So, Natsu, is there another MMA fight this weekend?" Ultear asked.
"Ah no, not till next week during spring break."
"Why?"
"The charity event did a number. Many fighters need time to recover from the event."
"Makes sense" Natsu stopped by Ultear place to let her out before inching his way home.
Unknown to him, Ultear has been eyeing him the entire night, questioning if she is ready to be in another relationship again.
Especially after showing how protective he can be if the charity event is anything to go off.
She quickly headed to her room before slipping down to the floor with her hand on her heart.
Their conversation after they kissed replaying in her head over and over again.
She let out a yawn. Then, deciding to worry about it tomorrow, she went to bed.
Her heart was just now starting to calm down. But, unknown to her, Natsu is in the same boat as her.
He sits in his room with his heart in his hand, going over the night he kissed Ultear.
She is attractive, and he has no shame admitting it. However, he wouldn't be able to admit how the grief from Lucy and Gray seems weightless when he is with her.
He's not about to throw this away. But, on the contrary, he hopes she feels the same way.
Before continuing these thoughts, his body quickly derailed that train when he let out a yawn.
"Bedtime" jumped in bed, calling it a night.
The following day like always, he gave Ultear a ride to school. It wasn't long before he notices everyone having their eyes on him.
"Great," he says under his breath. He went to homeroom, turning in his and Ultear class project.
They would have to wait till tomorrow to see their final score. They silently hoped its perfect.
Once lunch came by with Natsu sitting with the girls, still feeling eyes on the back of his head.
But he didn't pay them any mind. A quick look at the girls tells him they learned what happened in the locker room.
The bell saves him, signaling lunch is over, only to have gym class shortly afterward.
He's been dreading gym class all day, but he muscled through it. As soon as he stepped into the locker room, it's deftly quiet.
He didn't pay it any mind as he got dressed. It's fitness day, so no weightlifting.
Like every other day, the class period is uneventful. However, when they waited for the bell to ring, the atmosphere put Natsu on edge.
It wasn't Jet this time. Instead, it was Max to start talking shit.
"Natsu, I take it you're into Ultear, but I must warn you someones already had her first" Natsu slams his lock shut before glaring at him.
"Those are just baseless rumors, and you know it" he continues to glare at him.
"Just keep telling yourself that. That reminds me, how many have you had?"
"What?" he said with curiosity.
"Don't what me, how many girls have you been with?"
"I'm still a virgin if that what your asking," he broke out into hysterical laughter.
"Your such a loser. I've been with seven so far, hahaha" he laughs so hard he accidentally bumped into someone.
That someone is Jellal. "Woah, sorry, Jellal, how many girls have you been with? Let me guess, at least 10 am I right, man" he held his hand only to be left hanging.
Jellal stares him down with cold eyes. "So what if Natsu is a virgin? I'm one too. You have a problem with that," he said with a stern tone as he towered over Max, cracking his knuckles.
He nervously backed away, "ah, it's no problem at all, Jellal," only to bump into Mr. Clive.
"My first time was with my wife during my mid 20's Max," he said neutrally.
Max's nervousness went up a level as Natsu, Jellal, and Mr. Clive surrounded him.
"Max isn't there something your forgetting" Mr. Clive leaned toward Natsu.
That when it clicked for him "ah sorry Natsu the was out of place for me to say" he bowed to the man before the bell went off.
Just as they left the locker room, Natsu had to ask, "Jellal is what you said really true?"
"It is Natsu. I've seen first hand the damage having sex too early can do."
"Well, thanks for having me back."
"No problem, also I know you'll be good to Ultear," he teased, only for Natsu to let out a sigh before heading to class.
I hope I address the topic in a respectful way
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