Chapter Eight: Warm Blood
And I can not control it
The way you're making me feel
And you have got me going
Spinning in circles 'round your warm blood
For the first time since arriving at camp, Natsu didn't feel like a bundle of butterflies were trying to escape his gut. He was still pretty sure his friends were only being nice out of pity, but at least he was confident in the fact that they didn't hate him. Well, Gray might still but Natsu was fine with that, seeing as the feeling was mutual.
Okay, so Natsu didn't hate him, but Gray sure as fuck pissed him off.
"For the last time, it'd be way worse to have a monster live under the bed than to run across a monster in the woods."
Natsu turned on his heel, walking backwards so he could more properly shout at Gray's stupid opinions. "Honestly, a monster that lives under your bed could kill you at anytime! Just grab your ankle and bam! Monster late night snack."
"If you can't successfully run from something in the woods that's your own fault for going out there." Levy added, arm linked with Cana's. "What are you going to do if it's in your house? Move?"
Cana balked at Levy, clearly affronted by her side. "I can't believe my bed mate could be so blind."
"We don't have to be bedmates, you know," Cana waved off her wry comment, nose in the air as she continued to speak.
"Who said the monster under your bed is mean? Maybe they just want to be nice and dry. Now, a monster in the woods is a mean son of a bitch who wants to skin you and suck the marrow from your bones."
"This is blatant mothman erasure and I will not stand for it." Loke gasped, holding his phone to his chest, pausing in his texting to perform the dramatic action.
"We get it, you're gay," Cana rolled her eyes, sharing a cheeky grin with Juvia who at least had the courtesy to cover her snort with her hand. Natsu and Gray shared their own snigger at Loke's offended gasp, hands placed on his hips while he lectured Cana.
"Firstly, a proper love of cryptids is LGBTQ culture, not just gay culture, and secondly," Loke cocked an eyebrow, dragging his hand along his body as though he were showing off a trophy, "I'm bi, I don't deny anyone the opportunity to get a piece of this."
"I wish you would," Gajeel grunted, face relaxed as he glared at innocent leaves caught in the light breeze along the path. Natsu threw his head back, howling. The rest of the group followed suit, Loke's sputters drowned out by their raucous laughter.
"Juvia is deeply saddened to betray Gray, but she must agree with Natsu and Levy. How are we sure the wooded monster is the unkind one? Juvia would much rather face a beast in the wild than where she is supposed to be safe." Juvia shuddered, arms wrapped around herself. Natsu couldn't understand how she was even close to cold, long jeans and long sleeved black shirt with an ankle length fur-lined vest both confusing him and making him sweat just by looking at her.
"Juvia!" Gray gasped. Natsu blinked, chortling at his betrayed expression and Juvia's following plea of forgiveness. Gajeel slung his arm over Juvia's shoulders, rolling his eyes at her squeak. Natsu grinned as he watched his cousin, the beast of a teenager looking as though he'd rather shove someone through a plane glass window before hugging them, when in actuality if you gave him a kitten he'd kill for you. Natsu would know. Lily is what made Gajeel give Juvia the spare bedroom all those years ago.
"I hope I get paired with someone cute," Loke sighed. Natsu rolled his eyes at his friend's comment, turning back to face the front and kicking a stray pebble.
"We know," he groaned, falling back into the group between Levy and Gray. "You want someone to run away with into the night and live your rockstar dream. It's all you've been talkin' 'bout since breakfast!"
Loke snorted, making a face at Natsu before turning back to his phone.
"I just hope I don't get paired with someone I hate," Gray said flatly. Natsu pulled down an eyelid at Gray's pointed look, sneering at the pale boy's middle finger in return.
"Feeling's mutual, dickhead."
"Oh be civil, you two twats," Cana glared over Levy's head, eerily reminding Natsu of Erza for a second. "Besides, despite as tight lipped as Mr. Only-Drummers-Are-Emo-Enough-For-Me has been about his second talent, I can guarantee you all it won't be guitar. Boy has two left thumbs."
"Oi, I'mma lefty." Gajeel grunted, easily ignored by the group as they neared the surrounding crowd that swarmed the announcement board.
From his pretty average 5"7' standpoint, Natsu couldn't see over the heads of the crowd, but Gajeel most definitely could, and he had stopped dead in his tracks.
"What's up metalhead?" Natsu turned back to ask.
"The photo."
"What?"
"The application form photo. I didn't think anyone else would see it."
Natsu frowned, remembering taking his own photo. The form had said to include a photo of yourself that accurately describes you, but still showed your face. His own was just a photo of him standing against a white wall. It was pretty much the same as a passport photo, except he wasn't looking at the camera.
"What's wrong with your application photo?" Levy asked, leaving the group behind to say with Natsu and Gajeel.
Gajeel avoided looking at her. Instead, his eyes slid to Natsu, cringing as he revealed precisely what was wrong with it.
"The suit."
Natsu's chest swelled with joy.
"You fucking idiot."
He ran towards the crowd, ignoring Gajeel's groans of shame behind him. He pushed Gray out of the way- the other boy landing on his backside with a very satisfying thud- and shoved through the rest of the mass of bodies, desperate to get to the board and see his cousin's embarrassment on show for all to see.
Once at the front, Natsu's eyes went straight to the photo of his cousin. It wasn't hard to miss. It was awful. Not only was Gajeel wearing the hideous white suit purchased for him by his father, but he also wore sunglasses and a fucking fedora. An honest-to-god white brimmed m'lady fedora. Natsu let out a howl of laughter, not caring about the people around him looking at him strangely. It wasn't until after he'd gotten over his cousins wide-legged, rock signs in the air like he just didn't care stance, that he realized that Gajeel has been paired with none other than Levy.
Oh ho ho, Gajeel was going to love that.
Natsu's eyes slid over the rest of the announcement sheet, snorting over Gray's own heavily eye-linered photo. The snort turned into a laugh when he noticed the moron was paired with Juvia.
It wasn't until his eyes reached the bottom of the list that he found his own partner. His eyes fixed on her photo, all his laughter dying out.
Fuck.
Sitting next to his own photo was a candid of Lucy, smiling and reaching for the camera, obviously just discovering she was being photographed and unable to hide her laughter even as she reached for the person. Her eyes danced, clear and bright, her hair swirling around her as if the breeze had known just when to blow to make her golden hair catch the afternoon sun. She was so pretty. She was so good.
She was breathtaking.
Natsu's fingers itched to grab his guitar and a notepad and find a little nook with a bean bag and an amp so he could lose himself in the music. The crowd milled and brushed against him, their own excited chatter swelling as they looked at their assigned partners.
"Juvia is so happy!"
"Aw fuck."
Natsu turned at the familiar voices, Juvia latched onto Gray's arm and swooning, Gray trying to lean away as respectfully as he could and looking as comfortable as Natsu would feel in a tutu and pointe shoes. And he'd know, considering all the things Juvia had managed to trick Natsu into when Gajeel absolutely refused. Two boys Natsu didn't know were wailing beside them, Levy trying her best to console them with an apologetic smile.
"Levy why," the dark haired one wailed. The ginger one was hugging her, kids around them casting the trio a wary look before pushing by, and Levy increasingly getting flustered by all the attention.
Natsu was saved from having to abandon the melody playing in the back of his head by Cana appearing from the ether and pushing herself between Levy and the taller boy, her arm slung carelessly over Levy's shoulder and her grin lazy and purposefully relaxed.
"Now, now boys," she cooed, "there's enough of our little Levy to share. You'll still have down time to steal her away from Gajeel to your hearts' content."
Natsu didn't laugh. He was too busy wondering if Lucy had seen the announcement yet. What did she think? Had she asked to be switched yet? Natsu didn't know if they were even allowed to do that, but he figured if there'd be an exemption it would be for Lucy to not have to deal with him for hours on end everyday.
"Natsu shouldn't worry," Juvia said from behind him, her hand comforting on his shoulder. "Juvia knows how silly that is to say, and she may have only known Lucy for a few days, but Juvia knows that Lucy enjoys spending time with her friends, and Natsu, Lucy has already decided you are her friend. Even if you doubt Juvia and the other's thoughts on being more, please do not doubt your friendship with Bunny Girl."
"That's going to be a thing now, isn't it?"
Natsu stiffened at the voice behind him, light and sweet and bouncy like a giggle was just begging to break free. Natsu had made her giggle at breakfast. A fuck ton. Or maybe she had just been laughing at him.
"Lucy!" Juvia exclaimed happily before a sudden shyness was stealing her voice pushing her to put Natsu between her and Lucy. Natsu cocked his head in confusion as he looked at his cousin's best friend, seeing as how once Juvia had decided some one was her friend she lived up to her talent in musical theatre and the drama of the stage, as Juvia liked to put it. Natsu called it batshit crazy. He looked over his shoulder, avoiding Lucy's warm grin as he realized who she was standing arm in arm with. Juvia cast him a kind smile before slipping away, murmuring to herself about finding her beloved once more.
"Yo, Mira. What're you doing with Luce, shouldn't ya be rounding up all the brats for a rave or something?" Natsu asked, relaxing at the familiar face.
"Natsu, you know Laxus and his friends are older than you." Mira Jane smiled at him, a mix of fond and exasperated that was one of her more honest expressions. Natsu knew how hard being the face of the camp was on her, and how she fell back into the persona if she wasn't careful. "Besides, do you really think Ever would risk getting sweat in her hair at a rave?"
Natsu barked out a laugh, picturing the stuck up brunette screaming at a crowd of uncaring people. He wasn't as close with Ever, Bickslow, and Freed as Mira was, her main connection being her friendship with Laxus while Natsu was closer with Mira's little sister, Lisanna.
His joy at picturing Ever's disgust melted away as he thought of his friend. Natsu hadn't seen her in a year or two, not since she had been accepted into Edolas' advanced medical program, her dream of being a vet snowballing with her talent in school and easy to love personality propelling her two years ahead so she had already graduated and was on her first year of university. He knew he'd only have held her back, but he missed his best friend so much it hurt sometimes. Natsu had never opened up to someone like he had with her, and there were days that a certain feeling nagging in his gut told him he had annoyed her so much that she decided to throw herself into her education and run to a new continent.
Just like how Lucy would probably run away after a week of being forced to work with him.
"So," Natsu said, forcing a grin and his thoughts away from Lisanna and how much fun she was having without him around, "You decide Lucy'll be your new protégée?"
Mira gave him a knowing grin that reminded Natsu far too much of her earlier years in the She Devils, pulling Lucy closer to her side and speaking sweetly. "Of course! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, Natsu, and Erza has been keeping me updated on all the happenings of the campers."
"Snitch," Natsu hissed under his breath. Mira continued speaking as if she hadn't heard anything at all.
"So you'll be seeing me much more often, can't let all you babies have all the fun you know." Natsu cringed, tucking into his scarf to hide his frown. Mira was speaking in the same sweet voice, but Natsu could hear her words for what they really were; a threat. If there was something Mira loved more than her music it was meddling in people's lives, particularly in the affairs of the heart. Which meant Natsu didn't even want to imagine the horrific and scarring things that might happen if she decided to 'help' Natsu woo Lucy, which would not only be a futile effort but might actually ruin Lucy's time at camp, which was the absolute worst thing Natsu could imagine. "And you know how much I love helping out new talent, especially one with as much raw potential as Lucy."
"You think I have talent?" Lucy awed. Mira giggled and nodded, either unaware of Lucy's adoration or simply used to it. Natsu felt a pang as he watched Lucy make heart eyes at Mira. She would definitely have preferred to have the silver haired girl as her partner. That would make her entire time at camp, let alone week.
Natsu jolted when Lucy turned to look at him, still giddy off of Mira's praise as she smiled at him.
"So have you seen the names for who's being partnered?" she asked.
"Erm," Natsu replied, tucking deeper into his scarf.
"You think your partner will be that bad?" Lucy asked sympathetically. She gave him a reassuring smile, Natsu losing himself in how pretty her eyes were and the way the noon sun lit them up. "Whoever they are, they won't be as hopeless with the guitar as I am, I can guarantee you that much."
Natsu smiled awkwardly before turning on his heel and disappearing into the crowd, both to stop himself from saying something stupid like 'The only hopeless you are is hopelessly cute' or other dumb shit, and to save himself from having to see the dissapoint on Lucy's face when she found out he was her partner.
Lucy blinked in shock as she watched Natsu's back. She turned to Mira Jane, worrying her lower lip.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Mira Jane patted her arm before leading her to the board, shaking her head ruefully and making the silver hair framing her face bounce. It was so pretty and shiney. Lucy would have to ask her her shower routine to get it so soft and healthy.
"Natsu is just a little shy sometimes. He'll get a thought in his head and honestly, it's easier to convince Erza of something than Natsu." Mira Jane gave her another smile, kind but a little strained. "He's best friends with my little sister, Lisanna, have been since they were children, but I still can't read him. It's quite annoying."
Lucy laughed awkwardly, unsure of how Mira Jane's sweet tone lined up with her words. "I don't think I've seen her at camp." Lucy said, diverting the topic away from a certain pink haired boy who had given Lucy the cold shoulder. Just after they had agreed to be friends. "What talent does she focus on?"
"Oh, no no no. Lisanna is in Edolas for her veterinary degree. She skipped the last two grades and got accepted early. You should hear Elfman go on about how proud he is of our genius sister. " Mira Jane grinned, easily maneuvering through the crowd until they stood in front of the board, only a few feet from where they had been talking with Natsu. Lucy half heartedly scanned the pictures in front of her, looking for herself. So Natsu's best friend was a genius going to school in a different country to save animal lives. Okay. Not like he had high standards for who he hung out with then. Of course, he seemed to be as thick as thieves with Gajeel, so maybe Lucy wasn't too out of her depth. She frowned, feeling a headache growing behind her eyes. Hard to read indeed.
"Oh," Lucy breathed, finally finding her own picture. Right beside Natsu's.
They were partners.
"Do you think he's upset?" Lucy asked Mira Jane, tearing her gaze away from the candid photo Natsu had submitted that looked like it belonged on a magazine or album cover.
"Yes, but not for the reasons you're thinking of," Mira Jane soothed. "Natsu's always been a little nervous of what people think of him, and from what I understand, your opinion is ranked very high on that list. You just need to give him time to get used to the idea that you wouldn't actually prefer to die than spend an hour or two with him, and then it will be smooth sailing for you too."
Lucy felt her cheeks heat as Mira Jane spoke, looking at the ground and tightening her arm on the one Mira Jane had looped through. She didn't know why, but the thought of Natsu caring that much about what she thought made her both nervous and a little happy. Which was ridiculous. Because Lucy was here to learn music theory and how to improve herself as a musician, not to find a summer love.
But oh, Lucy didn't think it would be all that bad to have Natsu come and sweep her off her feet. Especially if he were shirtless again...
Lucy squeaked as she tore herself from her thoughts. She ignored Mira Jane's curious look, and distracted herself by waving to where Juvia stood with Cana and Loke and a shorter girl with long blue pigtails and a nervous look in her eye.
"C'mon, Lucy, why don't you introduce me to your friends!" Mira suggested. Lucy blinked at her, already being pulled forward by a giggling and excited Mira Jane before she had the chance to form any words. Thoughts of maybe-shirtless Natsu's drifted away as Lucy went back to aweing over how she was linked arms with her idol, and about to introduce her to Lucy's friends. God, if Loke tried to hit on her Lucy would throw his damn phone in the lake. See how much he'd call her his sunshine then.
If there was one thing Gray was thankful for, it was the privacy of his cabin. And noise cancelling headphones. But he had left those in the jacket he had accidentally stripped out of at Lucy's cabin, so he was stuck simply ignoring his two mentally imploding bunkmates as he dealt with his own, actual, catastrophe.
He couldn't believe there was no one else at camp who played the violin. What was worse, was he couldn't believe he had actually been stupid enough to put down violin as his second talent. He should have put costume design like Loke, or bullshitted and put piano like Cana. But no, he had decided to be a complete dumbass and be open and vulnerable and honest.
And now. Now Gray was going to have to dance.
"I'm so fucked."
"You're fucked?" Natsu squeaked, pausing in his spot where he had been pacing for the last three minutes. "I'm paired with Lucy and she's going to hate me? What if I can't teach her how to play guitar? What if she can't teach me how to sing? I'm going to make a fucking fool out myself, holy shit."
"Yeah, you are," Gray said flatly. He had more important things to do than coddle Natsu right now. Like planning how to fake his death, which frankly would be easier than turning down Juvia. He hadn't known the girl very long, but he already had an inkling that she was even more stubborn than Cana. It didn't help that every time she looked at him it was with adoration. His friends might call him emotionless, but even he couldn't crush her so flatly. Also, saying no to people he didn't hate made him break out in hives.
A pair of flying pillows pulled him from his thoughts, both nailing him in the face.
"Oi!"
"Don't be a dick, Strawberry's got enough issues without ya agreeing with the voice in his head." Gajeel grunted, going back to petting Lily obsessively.
"I don't have a voice in my head," Natsu scowled. He resumed pacing, sending Gray a middle finger at his disgruntled noise. Gray watched Natsu walk, changing his step mid stride as Happy wound around his ankles, eager for the muffin Natsu had shoved in his pocket at breakfast that the moron had forgotten about. "And I'm not the only one hiding in here. Juvia was searching for ya high and low when I was heading back."
"Fleeing from Bunny Girl," Gajeel interjected, still glaring at the wall under Gray's bunk and above Loke's. Gray was seriously considering the idea that Gajeel was trying to burn down the cabin with his mind. Natsu ignored his cousin, turning on his heel and pacing back towards the door.
"You don't have to worry about screwin' up in front of her like we all know you will, you could sneeze in her face and she'd still basically worship you," Natsu scoffed. Happy meowed, tiring with his chase and batting at Natsu's ankle. He slowed, allowing Happy to crawl up his leg and his body so he could perch on his human's shoulder.
Gray groaned, claiming all three of what were now his pillows, burying his face in them. Maybe if he was lucky he'd suffocate and this conversation would end.
"Is she like this with everyone she meets?" he asked, not really caring if Gajeel or Natsu heard him.
"Nope," Gajeel said flatly, shattering all of Gray's hopes.
"Whyyy," he complained, smothering his whine into his pillows. Great. He was going to act like a dipshit in front of a girl who had an apparently massive and unique crush on him. He didn't know why that thought bothered him, but it did, which meant Gray was not looking forward to these next three weeks.
"Trust us when we say we have no fuckin' idea what she sees in you, dude," Natsu said, helpful as always.
"Go jack off to your fantasies of Lucy telling you she hates you," Gray snapped.
"Why, you wanna listen in or something, you pervert?" Natsu snarled back. Gray threw Gajeel's pillow at him, cursing to himself when he almost hit Natsu's dumb cat. Fucking cheater had an adorable built in shield that stopped Gray from maiming him. Natsu sneered at him, lips twitching between a frown and a smile at their fighting. Why were his friends so weird.
Shit.
Natsu wasn't his friend and he definitely didn't think that. He was getting cabin-fever was all. Or the stress of mentally preparing himself to do a musical number from Cats was getting to him. Yeah, that made more sense.
Gray looked back at Gajeel.
"Why the fuck are you so catatonic?"
"Shove it," Gajeel grunted. Lily sat in his arms, not minding the heavy pets his human was using on him, obviously used to being Gajeel's comfort in times of stress. What the giant had to be stressed about that Gajeel couldn't punch into submittance was beyond him, but Gray wasn't about to risk being said punching bag.
"Nah, pervert here has a point," Natsu agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. Happy chirped in agreement, a strange 'aye' sound that made Gray think he'd choked on a kernel of food as a kitten and had done some damage that Natsu was too oblivious to notice. "What's your issue? Levy seems nice enough to wait at least three sessions before laughing at your horrible singing."
"How the fuck am I gonna teach her how to play guitar?" Gajeel asked, more like he was talking to himself than answering Natsu's question. "She's the same fucking size as it!"
Gray wondered if Gajeel knew how often he said 'fuck'.
"I'm more worried about how she's going to teach you how to sing," Gray said instead of answering his question.
Natsu held up his hand for a high five from Gray.
Gray threw Natsu's pillow back at him, hitting him in the face. Happy meowed angrily as his perch was disturbed, jumping from a sputtering Natsu. Gray blinked in surprise as the cat was suddenly on his bunk, having scaled the bed. He curled on Gray's shins, purring as the fluffball pinned Gray to his bed.
"Oi!" Natsu spat, glowering up at Gray. He ignored how the yellow was still noticeable on Natsu's jaw, and the following twinge in his gut, scowling at Natsu before a smug grin broke out and he began to pet Happy. "Don't steal my cat!"
"He chose me. Blame Fluffy here." He mocked. Gajeel remained impassive as he pet his own cat and muttered to himself about breakable girls and guitar scales. Natsu sneered at him, hands shoved in his hoodie pockets as he stopped pacing the room, finally.
"His name's Happy and ya know it!"
Gray snorted, looking back at the cat curled into a tight ball on him. He didn't know that many cats, and as he scratched behind an ear and pulled deeper purrs he wondered if they were all clingy like Happy seemed to be. Then his mind drifted to other cute, clingy, blue creatures and he flopped back into the bed with a groan. How the fuck was he going to deal with Juvia? What if he was weak to her wide eyes? Would he snap at her and make her cry? God, he hated when girls cried. What the fuck was he supposed to do with his hands? What if she tried to touch him while they danced? Gray didn't do casual touching.
"Do you really think Lucy will hate me?"
Gray whipped his head back at Natsu, the dumbass having lowered his gaze and worrying his lip after asking his question. He pulled on the edge of his beanie, dragging the dark gray fabric down so no part of his hair escaped it. Gray scowled as he thought about how it looked like Natsu was trying to hide in the damn fabric.
"Of course not," he spat, huffing as he looked away from Natsu while sitting up. Because he didn't want to look at him. Not because he looked like a fucking puppy with hopeful and wide eyes as he gave his full attention to Gray. His hair might be natural but Gray was adamant that he wore coloured contacts. "I don't know why but she's decided she likes you, and once Lucy has decided you're her friend literally nothing you could do can change that. Trust me."
"She's not just being nice and pitying me?" Natsu asked, hope gone from his expression as he looked over Gray warily.
"Oh definitely," Gray yawned. He scratched under Happy's chin, smiling to himself at the loud purrs he pulled from the odd coloured cat. He sensed Natsu's mood drop, his smile slipping from his face slightly. "But that's just because I can't fathom a reason as to why I'd hang out with you outside of being bunkmates, and in case you haven't noticed, Lucy's a bit better at not being a horrible person to other people than I am. Actually likes most people too, that freak." Gray snorted. Happy rolled into his back and batted at Gray's hand, both offering his white tummy for belly rubs and threatening Gray's wrist. He decided it was worth it and rubbed the softness of Happy's stomach.
"Okay," Natsu said. Gray looked away from Happy, quickly turning back to the cat when he saw Natsu's small smile. It was a little shy, a little soft. It was sickening.
Happy meowed once before slinking away from Gray and abandoning him. He curled onto Gajeel's lap next to Lily and Gray couldn't help but feel betrayed.
"Juvia means well," Natsu called suddenly. "She can be a bit crazy, and weird, but nothing she ever does is fake or half hearted. You don't have to worry about what she thinks of ya, Numbnuts."
That wasn't what he was freaking out about, but Gray nodded anyway, appreciating Natsu's attempt. "Ok, no need to worry."
"But are you sure Lucy doesn't hate me."
Gray groaned, loudly and trying to convey all of his annoyance through a single sound.
"Oi," Gajeel called. Gray looked at him, ignoring Natsu's resumed pacing and wringing of Gajeel's pillow in his hands. "You hurt Juvia and I'll kill you."
Gray let his head fall back into his pillow. He really fucking should have put 'more drums' as his second talent.
A/N: I literally forgot to add the most recent chapter and i'm trash I'm sorry. It's belated but enjoy!
Reviews are always appreciated!
Much Love,
HN & NJAF