What is Real Love?:
Jennabeth sat at a table in the back of the main room by herself, twiddling her thumbs, staring at her shoes.
She had a lot on her mind, especially after yesterday.
She had been so confident that, after everything she'd been through, she'd finally found her home. She'd finally found a place where she'd never be mistreated again. Yet yesterday it happened again. She'd been singled out and attacked for her magic. Only it was worse this time. She'd been accused of a crime she didn't even commit.
Had Fairy Tail not stepped in she'd be in jail awaiting trial for a triple murder. She was very thankful they'd protected her. Still, she wondered if that would last.
She hoped it would. A part of her thought it would. But that man had been his victim's husband and father before he killed them. Her known ghost, the Corpse Bride, was killed by her husband on her wedding night. The Lady in Red was murdered by her sister who wanted the same man she had been courting.
Even her own parents, the minute they found out she had ghost magic, abandoned her.
How long did it take before the family turned on the family?
What was the expiration on love?
What was the line she had to ensure to never cross to keep herself in her guild's good graces?
"Here you go."
Jennabeth jumped slightly as a mug appeared in front of her. She looked up to find Mirajane standing over her.
"Lavender and chamomile tea," Mirajane answered. "On the house."
"Thank you," Jennabeth whispered as she took a sip.
Mirajane sat down at the table across from her. "Are you alright?"
Jennabeth took another sip before shaking her head.
"I didn't think so," Mirajane sighed as she reached across the table and took Jennabeth's hand in hers. "And I know it's probably going to take time for you to feel better. But just know that we're here for you, whatever you may need."
"For how long?" Jennabeth asked.
"I'm sorry?" Mirajane asked.
"How long are you going to have my back?"
"Always," Mirajane said.
"Until I mess up in some way, though, right?"
"No," Mirajane squeezed Jennabeth's hand.
Jennabeth didn't answer, but she looked like she didn't quite believe her.
"What's got you thinking like this?" Mirajane asked.
"I don't know…" Jennabeth sighed. "I just...my parents used to tell me they loved me, until they abandoned me. That man I'm sure told his family he loved them, and then he killed them. The Corpse Bride's husband said he loved her before he killed her. So...what's the limit? When does love run out?"
"Jennabeth," Mirajane said softly. "Real love doesn't run out."
"Does it not?" Jennabeth didn't look convinced. "If that's true then what does real love look like? How is it different from fake love?"
"Well, for a start, real love is free," Mirajane said. "You don't have to buy it, or earn it. That doesn't mean that people who love you will let you get away with anything. Someone who loves you, really loves you, will call you out, and maybe even punish you, when you're wrong, but because they want you to be the best version of yourself you can be, not because they want to control you."
Jennabeth stared at the table, a look of deep concentration on her face.
"I never met your parents, but from what I've heard they wanted a simple girl they could dress-up and parade around like a doll. When you showed how powerful you were it scared them and they bailed. As for the man who accused you, he wanted a family until he got bored. And then when he was done with them he got rid of them. He never loved them. He saw them as objects, toys. When it comes to the Corpse Bride's husband, he loved his criminal money more than he loved her, which means he never really loved her."
"But how do I tell?" Jennabeth asked. "How do you tell what's real and what's not?"
"It can be hard sometimes," Mirajane agreed.
"Mind if I cut in?"
Mirajane and Jennabeth looked to find Gajeel standing next to them.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard a few things, so…" he said.
"Sure, have a seat," Mirajane said, scooting over to make some room.
"Alright," Gajeel said as he turned to Jennabeth. "I know you haven't had a chance to get to know me very well yet, kid, but you and I kinda have a similar past. Y'know, with people either being afraid of you or wanting to use you because of your power."
"Really?" Jennabeth asked.
"Yeah," Gajeel nodded. "And what ol' Mira said is true. Folks who actually care for you aren't going to ask you for something in return of that love. They'll just want you to be happy. So if someone starts putting conditions on you outside of making sure you eat something and are drinking enough water, it's probably not real."
"Hm," Jennabeth hummed as she thought.
"And another thing," Gajeel continued. "I know you probably aren't thinking of this right now, but you are a pretty young girl, so I wanna make sure someone tells you this. Blame it on the dad in me if you want."
Jennabeth gave a weak chuckle and a faint smile.
"If a boy loves you, as he is actually in love with you, he'll make it so obvious that you'll never have to question it. He will never do anything to make you feel worse about yourself, your desires, or your dreams. He'll never try to keep you away from the things or the people that make you happy. He'll never dismiss how you feel, or take anything from you without giving equal measure back. Because when a man is in love with a woman, really in love with her, he wants to be her hero. He'll have your back 100% of the time, and will show up for you every single time, no questions asked, no matter what else may be going on, because he wants you to be safe and happy. And he wants you to know you're safe with him."
"Really?" Jennabeth asked.
"Yeah. He'll also be your biggest fan, constantly bragging about how amazing, and strong, and beautiful you are. And he'll be reminding you of it every chance he can because, again, he wants you to be happy. And he ain't gonna quit until you are. If a guy ain't willing to do all that for you, don't give him the time of day."
"Wow, you really let Daddy-Gajeel out of his cage today, didn't you?" Mirajane giggled.
"Yeah, and what about it?" Gajeel challenged, an eyebrow arched.
Jennabeth smiled softly again.
"There's a lot of truth in what Gajeel said, though," Mirajane said. "If someone loves you, be it romantic or platonic, then they will want what's best for you-"
SLAM!
"Darn it, which of you crazy kids are slamming doors this time?" Gajeel asked over his shoulder.
"Not me!" both Persephone and Koree answered at once.
Jennabeth chuckled weakly before saying: "Thanks, guys. That helped a bit."
"Of course," Mirajane said, taking Jennabeth's hand again. "And if you ever have any more questions just talk to someone. We're one big family here and we're always willing to help."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SLAM!
"Darn it, which of you crazy kids are slamming doors this time?"
Storm heard Gajeel shouting from where he'd locked himself in a storage closet, but he didn't even try to answer him. His hands and her legs were shaking, his breath was gatsby, and his face was hot. He hadn't meant to listen in on Uncle Gajeel, Aunt Mirajane, and Jennabeth's conversation. But he overheard the first part of Uncle Gajeel's lecture on what a man in love acted and felt like and couldn't stop listening.
This had to be a joke!
He had to have misunderstood something!
Yet everything Uncle Gajeel had said…
...when a man is in love with a woman, really in love with her, he wants to be her hero…
...he wants you to be safe and happy. And he wants you to know you're safe with him…
...he'll be your biggest fan, constantly bragging about how amazing, and strong, and beautiful you are…
...he wants you to be happy. And he ain't gonna quit until you are…
All of those wants, those hopes, those wishes Uncle Gajeel listed off. Storm had them.
But that couldn't be right!
This was insane!
Maybe he was misunderstanding this, or overthinking and overreacting.
Yeah, that was it. It had to be.
But as Storm thought everything over, picking apart his own thoughts and feelings with a fine tooth comb, he found he couldn't deny it.
What Uncle Gajeel was describing, how a man felt and thought when he was in love, that was Storm.
That was how Storm felt about Nashi.
But that was insane! Nashi was his best friend! They'd known each other their whole lives! He couldn't be in love with his best friend, that would just be weird!
Besides, she drove him crazy with her impulsive and rambunctious shenanigans!
But...in a way he kind of enjoyed?
Yeah, sure, it annoyed him. But at the same time, she was always keeping him on his toes. She always made sure to make even the most mundane of days interesting in a way no one else could. But never to the point that it was completely insane…
...most of the time.
Though, to be fair, the times she usually went completely overboard and in everyone's face was when Koree was involved.
On her own Nashi had an uncanny ability to keep life entertaining and adventurous without being…
…well, what was the word? Overbearing, maybe? It wasn't like she was constantly trying to entertain everyone around her, vying hard for everyone's attention, doing anything and everything she could to get attention. She just drew adventure to herself like a magnet. And with those adventures came the attention. And with that attention usually came the smiles and laughter.
Of course there were always those few naysayers, but usually everyone was just as happy as himself to go along with Nashi's crazy train ride of fun.
How she did it, he didn't know. And he had a sneaky feeling she didn't either. It was just Nashi being Nashi.
And he would do everything in his power to make sure that nothing ever took that away from her. That none of the naysayers would ever-
-HOLY SMOKES, HE WAS THINKING EXACTLY WHAT UNCLE GAJEEL A MAN IN LOVE WOULD!
This couldn't be real! She was his best friend-
-yes, well, that's just what it was, right? She was his best friend. Of course he would want to keep herself.
But he didn't feel this way about Cato. Or Roman. Or Koree. Or Persephone. His feelings for Nashi were completely, and utterly different.
When had this happened? He hadn't always felt differently about Nashi when compared to his other friends. But somehow, someway, at some point in time, things had changed.
"...again, Nashi, again!"
Storm slowly opened the door just a crack and peaked outside.
Nashi was flying around the guild hall, Vera in her arms. The little girl giggled and spread her arms out as she flew through the air. Nashi set down, and July ran to her.
"Me, me, me!" he begged.
"Okay," Nashi smiled, giggling as she picked July up. She called her wings back and took off into the air once again. That was just like her. Bringing joy and fun to those around her.
Her rosy pink hair blew behind her, showing off her radiant smile, her sparkling brown eyes, her sun-kissed and freckled face. Even the scar just above her eye added something alluring to her. A hint that this girl had survived a frightening ordeal, but was still able to wear a smile on her face.
Storm's brow furrowed as he pushed the door shut, leaning his back against it.
His heart was pounding.
He gasped, putting a hand to his chest.
"What the heck?" he asked himself. What was wrong with him. Why was this happening to him?
OH, NO!
Storm tuned and peaked out the door again.
Nashi now had Isla in her arms as she flew around, both of the girls smiling. Nashi was radiant, shining in her natural element.
His heart began pounding again. He set his hand over it once more as he closed the door shut once more.
He slumped to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest.
This changed everything!
What was he going to do now?
He couldn't just say something!
She was his friend! They were on a team with Cato, Roman, Koree, and Persephone! Their mothers were friends! Their fathers were...kinda friends, but not really, but kinda yes...whatever, it was confusing!
And things just got more confusing!
What was he supposed to do now?
He didn't know, but one thing he knew he could not do, was deny what was going on in his heart.
He could no longer deny that he, Storm Fullbuster, was falling in love with Nashi Dragneel.