DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. I would totally screw it up so let's be grateful ˚˘˚
Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, and/or read! I love you so much I'll hug your face! C'mere! Wait! No! Stop running away!
I DO NOT THINK THAT SUICIDING WILL GET RID OF YOUR PROBLEMS. I DO NOT SUPPORT SUICIDING IN ANY WAY AND I DO NOT THINK YOU SHOULD THROW AWAY YOUR PRECIOUS LIFE IF SOMEONE WISH IT OFF. That was for entertainment purposes ONLY.
We the Kings: Just Keep Breathing
I'm thinking of making a new part every Saturday… Yeah, I think I'll do that ;) This chapter is here quite early as an apology for keeping you guys waiting for so long on the last chapter :)
(Oh, Lisanna and Natsu are not dating. Just wanted to clarify ;)
I want to go sleep.
But I can't.
Dang it! I hate homework. I knew talking with Lucy would mess up my perfectly planned schedule!
I poke the sheet. "I hate you, Calculus."
Thankfully, it doesn't respond. If only I had that calculator my dad bought for me when he was still alive. But nooooo. I had to go and lose it!
I roll off the couch and move to the mess in my closet. "Come on, I know you're in here!" I shuffle things around and a CD falls out. "Oh no."
An avalanche of junk falls on top of me and I'm buried alive. A few minutes later, I manage to push enough things off so I can see my living room. I sit up and see a black mass sitting on my legs. It's my guitar. The one my dad gave me on my 12th birthday. I stare at it, uncomprehendingly.
I pick it up and unzip it's case. He got it big so I could use it when I was older. I smile wryly. Always thinking of the future, that man.
I blow the dust off the dust on the ancient thing and get up and sit on the couch. I fit it in my arms and it fits perfectly.
Flashback:
"Dad!" I cried out.
"What, kiddo?"
"I told you I wanted a baseball mitt, not some crummy guitar! I don't even know how to play!"
"But you will." He winked at me. He always knew what to do. He always knew how to make me do what he wanted. That wink made me feel so special I groaned and I gave in.
"Fine, but next year you have to promise to get me a baseball mitt!"
He rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine!"
I smiled and grabbed the guitar.
I strummed a few notes. I had forgot about this beauty. Tears pricked in my eyes. Tomorrow. Tomorrow was his "death" anniversary.
This guitar used to be my "feeling contraption." I used to play my heart out in songs and I would feel better. And then I stopped playing it for…for binge drinking. I'm not proud of it, but it felt like the only way to get over pain.
My dad's favorite song comes to my head and I can't help but play it. "This is for you...dad."
When heaven seems so far away
And dreams are just a memory
Without the dark the light won't show
Remember that you're not alone
When you watch the world just turn away
And break the promises it made
When love is all too hard to hold
Just take a breath and let it go
Whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
Whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
Two A.M., too tired to sleep
When what you want's not what you need
And when these walls don't feel like home
Remember that you're not alone
The beginning's just another end
It's not too late to start again
When hope is all too hard to hold
Just take a breath and let it go
Whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
Whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
Ooh ooh...
When heaven seems so far away
And dreams are just a memory
When love is all too hard to hold
Just take a breath and let it...
Go whoa oh, whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
Whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh, whoa whoa oh
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing
I strum the last note and let out a sigh.
"Thank you, Natsu."
"Dad?" I turn to my right and there he is, sitting on the couch, his legs propped up on the coffee table like he never left.
"I loved it, kiddo. You gotta work on your singing though." He grins and I laugh in disbelief.
"Like you were any better, old man."
"I'm NOT old!"
I laugh again. "Could've fooled me!"
"I love you Natsu, and I'm right here. Keep singing. You might one day get better." He winks and happiness fills me to the brim.
"DAD!" I yell as he starts to fade. "Don't go! I—"
He smiles sadly and then he's gone. He wasn't real. He was just a hallucination. "I love you too, Dad."
I break down, tears staining my cheeks. I never got to tell him I loved him. And I never will. I collapse on the ground, sleep finally coming.
"Oh my Mavis, what happened to him?" Whispers stream around me.
I turn on the girl who just whispered that to her friend. "If you want to know, why don't you just frikin ask me!?"
My black eye throbs painfully and I'm going to guess they've noticed the cut on my cheek and the scrapes around my body. The girl turns red and hides behind her friend.
"Yo, Natsu. Who cleaned the pavement with your face?" Gray asks.
"Why do you want to know, stripper?" I shoot back.
"I want to thank them for making you more attractive. Now I can actually bear looking at you without going blind from your ugliness."
I growl. "You implying something?"
"Yeah I'm implying something, you dumbass!" he yells.
Behind my stupid façade, I'm worried. Mr. Heartfilia wouldn't let me work yesterday because he said I "wasn't presentable. Thus you will not be working here until you can clean up your face. I will not be paying you, either."
How am I going to pay my rent? I can't! I sigh.
"What, got no come back?"
I stare at him. "Eucliffe did it."
Gasps of horror fill the hallway. "But don't worry guys, I pushed him in the river."
"It was quite impressive, actually." Heads turn to where Lucy stands with Levy. Levy's grinning as she makes her way to her locker.
"Hey Luce," I say quietly. She looks surprised at the nickname and I'm surprised, too.
"Hey Natsu." She walks to her locker and I watch her back.
Gray wolf-whistles. "Dang, you got the hots for her."
I raise my eyebrows. "Yeah, right. And you got the hots for Juvia."
"Juvia heard someone say her name," a bluenette says, appearing from the crowd. Her eyes land on Gray and his eyes widen. "Did someone say my darling Gray has the hots for me? Oh, I knew you loved me!"
"I'll get you yet, Natsu," Gray whispers and then makes a run for it.
I burst out laughing. I got him so good!
I walk through Magnolia, looking at the ads on the sides of the stores. None of them have caught my attention. They're not too interesting or in my skill area. I only have one in my hand that might be interesting and it's for giving guitar lessons to a kid named Romeo and his friend Wendy. But it was only 15,000 J a month, not quite enough for my apartment bill… I haven't had any luck for two days now and I am starting to get nervous. What if I never find anything?
Get Big Bucks: Business Opportunities For You!
Restaurant Singing at Eymho! 70,000 J a month!
Grass Cutting Every Week: 2,000 J.
I pause. Wait. Restaurant singing? Eymho? My dad used to work there! Well, as a hobby, he'd go restaurant singing sometimes. Plus the pay is 70,000 J which is exactly my rent! And with the Romeo and Wendy job, I would have enough to eat! I reach out for the Eymho job just as someone else does and my heart sinks.
"I'm sorry, you can go ahead and have it," I murmur, pushing it towards the other person.
"Oh, no, I don't need it!" I turn in surprise.
"Luce?"
"Oh, it's you. Well in that case," she laughs, "I'll take this then."
"Hey!"
She sticks out her tongue at me and starts running.
"Come back here!" I yell as I chase after her. Why does she even need the job? I ask myself. We run through the streets of Magnolia, weaving in and out of traffic while cars honk at us. We run for what seems like hours. I don't have work tonight so I don't have to worry about the time. That's nice. For a change, I can just have fun instead of sticking to my boring schedule. Finally, she starts to slow down. She's getting tired but she keeps running. I don't slow down.I'm in good shape because I have to walk so far every night.
"Getting tired?" I taunt.
She looks back at me and pants, "How are you not!?"
And then I see the looming figure in front of her. She's looking at me so she can't swerve to avoid it. My eyes widen and I do the only thing I can think of. I lunge forward and grab her around the waist. I pull her back and we stop short of the pole. Lucy stares at it in disbelief and then puts the flyer out in front of her.
"Too bad, you still won't get it!" she yells.
I scoff. "My arm is longer then yours!" I grab the paper but she refuses to let go. "Let go!" I order.
"Not in your wildest dreams!"
"Ha!" I yell as I finally manage to pry it out of her fingers.
"Woo!" Lucy and I turn to the voice as I forget my arm is still around her waist.
"Levy!?" we say together, incredulously.
She pulls out her phone and shows us a picture she took of me and Lucy while my hand was around her waist and she was holding the flyer up and I was reaching for it. It looked like we were any normal couple and she was pointing to something while I reached for her hand.
"OhmidearMavisyoucan'tsendthattoanyone!" Lucy says so fast, her words blur together while I take my hand off of her waist.
"Please don't Levy!" I insist.
"Fine! But only if you kiss!"
"WHAT!?" we yell and take steps away from each other.
"Levy…" Lucy says darkly as she takes a step towards her.
This cannot be happening. Is Levy trying to blackmail us!? I decide to play it cool. She can't really be doing this.
"It can't be all that bad. It's not going to kill us."
"I will kill you if you dare try to kiss me."
She seems serious and knowing her, she'd do it.
"Levy, I have a boyfriend."
Levy snorts. "Sting is hardly boyfriend material. Plus you don't even like him. Must I remind you the only reason you got together was because of your father."
"LEVY MCGARDEN I WILL PUMMEL YOU INTO THIS VERY GROUND!"
Oh. So that's why she's dating Sting.
Levy covers her mouth. "Whoops."
"WHOOPS IS RIGHT!"
"Does this mean you won't send the picture?"
"Nope!" Levy yells and punches the send button.
"NOOO!" I shout and lunge at her at the same time Lucy does. We end up bonking heads and stumbling backwards.
"Who'd you send it to?" Lucy demands.
"This will ruin my social life," I groan.
"You don't have one!" Lucy yells at me.
"Ouch."
"I sent it to the entire student body!" Levy cackles gleefully and I moan and lean against the pole for support. The whole school. The whole school has seen that picture.
"This isn't like you Levy!" Lucy murmurs.
Levy shrugs and sticks her tongue out.
"Hey Levy," a gruff voice mutters, "I got your coffee." Gajeel steps out of the coffee shop and hands Levy a coffee while sipping his own. His phone dings.
"Don't pick it up, Gajeel!" I yell. He eyes me suspiciously and ignores me. He stares at the picture and then starts to laugh.
"Gray was right. You do have the hots for Lucy!"
"NO I DON'T! SHE'S SO STUPID! YOU THINK I WOULD GO FOR SOMEONE LIKE HER!? SHE'S SO PRISSY AND FAKE AND DUMB!"
Someone sniffs beside me and my eyes widen. I forgot Lucy was standing right next to me. Levy and Gajeel are staring at me, shocked.
"It's nice to know how you feel about me."
"No, Lucy! It's not like that!"
She looks at me, tears filling her wide, innocent, beautiful eyes. I might have thought those things once but over these few days I got to spend with the real her, I really do like her for the person she is. She's nothing like her father.
"No," her voice catches in her throat. "I thought you were okay Natsu, I really did, but you obviously hold things that I'll never understand against me."
She turns and runs, tears splattering onto the side walk. "Lucy!" I call and start to run after her. We continue the chase and I stick the flyer in my pocket. This time we don't taunt each other. This time we run for something much more serious. She starts to slow down but doesn't give up on running. Finally, I manage to grab her wrist. She hits my hand repeatedly and struggles to get away from my grip.
I slam her against a wall so she can't escape. Finally, her struggles subdue but she refuses to look at me. "What do you want Natsu?"
"I didn't mean any of that stuff."
She scoffs. "Of course not."
"I didn't! Why don't you believe me?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because you blurted it out. Did you know people say what's really on their mind when they blurt things out?" she asks matter-of-factly.
"Right. But I don't feel that way. I was just saying those things because I hate when people try to pair me with others without letting fate weave it's way in. I hate how Levy's trying to play matchmaker at the moment."
"You think I don't? I have a boyfriend!"
"Ugh, about that…"
"Don't you dare start asking questions."
"Okay! Okay! I won't! But please, just pretend I didn't say any of the stuff I said. None of it was true, I promise."
She looks at me skeptically. "Fine. This one chance to prove yourself."
I laugh. "'Prove myself'? I don't need to prove myself to you!"
She grins. "Anyway, about people thinking we're together…"
"Well, the whole school thinks that…do you just want to play along with it?"
She looks a little shocked at first but then calms down. "Um…yeah, sure. I guess… I mean, it wouldn't kill us, would it? Rumors'll be going around anyway and frankly I've dealt with enough drama already to last a life time."
I sigh. "But you'll have to say you broke up with Sting…"
She shrugs. "That's the easiest part."
I smile smally. "We should go home now."
"Yeah, but first Natsu?"
"What?"
"Can you stop pinning me to the wall?"
I hope you liked it! :) Leave a revoo :P