gym crush - n. dragneel

seven

over the next month, you saw natsu almost every time you went to the gym. and of course, he dramatically greeted you every time and begged to workout with you. you always answered no, but damn he was persistent. you did ask him to spot you here and there, which he was more than happy to do. he also consistently tried to make plans with you outside of the gym, to which you always found a reason to say no.

you take a deep breath as you ready the barbell for a deadlift, hoping to set a personal record today. you'd been trying for 255 for weeks, and it was starting to piss you off that you still hadn't been able to lift it.

you firmly grip the bar, letting out a groan at how the weight resisted your movement.

after glancing in the mirror, natsu jumps down from the pull-up bar where he, gray, and gajeel are set up, jogging over to stand in front of you.

"cmon (y/n)! you can do it, that's easy weight!" he cheers for you, throwing you off and almost making you drop the weight.

natsu continues to encourage you, turning a few heads in the gym. your eyes widen as the plates lift from the ground, leg muscles burning.

you fully lift the bar, holding it for a moment then dropping the barbell, plates bouncing off the ground.

"that was fucking awesome!" natsu runs up to you excitedly, grinning widely.

"t-thank you!" you can't stop yourself from smiling, elated that you finally reached your goal.

and, hearing natsu root for you was nice too.

"i bet you can't do it again." he gives you a shit-eating grin, making you playfully shove his shoulder

"i bet you can't do it at all."

"is this you finally inviting me to workout with you?!"

you sigh, realizing what you just said.

"if you deadlift that once, then you can workout with me whenever you want."

at this point, gajeel and gray are nearby too, snickering at natsu and egging you on.

"really?!" you nod, and natsu scurries over to the barbell you set down.

he leans down and lines up his grip, shooting gray a confident smirk before he attempts to lift the weight.

his eyes widen as the bar doesn't budge, face turning red as he struggles.

"you're gonna burst a blood vessel if you keep it up." gray chuckles. he finally lets go, exhaling heavily. gray and gajeel burst out into laughter, and you try your best to conceal yours for his sake.

"that was no fair! you set me up!"

"we made a bet, and you lost. sorry bud." you shrug, making natsu narrow his eyes at you.

"i'll lift it soon! then you'll have to workout with me! just wait!" he puffs out his chest in determination, making you pinch the bridge of your nose as you laugh.

"you do that natsu."

——

"was he there today?!"

"nai, he's always there."

"and?!"

"and what? it's not like anything crazy happened."

"you guys are a pain in my ass. why won't you just make out with the man already?"

"he's literally just someone i see at the gym. i've seen him outside of working out once."

"because you won't let it happen again! don't think i don't hear about you turning him down from erza."

"you two stopped eating each other's faces long enough for her to tell you something?"

"don't try to change the subject! you spent the night at his house, but you can't go get dinner with him? what even happened?!"

"nothing happened. he slept on the floor, i slept in his bed, and got an uber home in the morning."

she narrows her eyes at you, stepping closer to your face.

"lying ass."

"what?"

"you just blinked like 70 times saying that. and your face is all red. i thought you'd know how shit you are at lying by now."

"don't try to psychoanalyze me, you whore."

"like i'm not majoring in psychology? dumbass."

"whatever." you grumble, crossing your arms.

"so, what happened?!"

you roll your eyes, knowing she'll find out one way or another.

"he was friends with sting."

"he what?!"

"he had a bunch of pictures in his room and there was one of him and sting when they were kids. and when we saw him at the bar the other night it came up that i had an ex that cheated. i recognized that stupid ass scar on sting's face in the picture, and when i asked who it was he said him and sting went to football camp during the summers together."

"so, are they still friends?"

"get this. natsu said he hadn't seen him in awhile. and when i said sting was my cheating ex, he flipped the fuck out. like, he immediately blocked sting from his phone and told gajeel they have to kill him."

"bitch, you better put a ring on him right now!"

"it's not even like that, he said he just hates to see cheating."

"god (y/n), how dense can you be? he obviously has a thing for you!"

"he does not! he's just outgoing, he's like that with everyone."

kurenai crosses her arms, giving you a blank look.

"you know i love you dearly. but if you really think, that you're incredibly stupid."

you sigh, knowing there's truth in her words.

"fine, you might be right. but i'm not dating again."

"so you're gonna stay single forever because one shrimp-dick guy did you a favor and removed himself from your life?"

"that's not how it happened and you know it."

"sting was a bitch. you're better off without him and his fake crystal earring either way. and, natsu is good for you. he's obviously proven it and all his friends have nothing but good things to say."

"how can you say he's good for me when you've met him once?"

"i saw you two getting all cozy when we went out. you can try and deny it but i know what i saw, there's so much chemistry there."

"chemistry doesn't necessarily mean compatibility."

"if he got that angry hearing about someone else cheating on you, why would he even think about doing it himself?! you're both gym rats, you're serious and he's goofy! it's perfect balance!"

"are you sure you're not trying to have me get with one of erza's friends just so we can go on double dates?" she lets out an exasperated laugh, lightening the mood for both of you.

"that's just a bonus. i get why you're hesitant, but natsu seems really genuine. i seriously doubt he'd ever do anything to hurt you."

"i'd rather not take my chances."

"i'd be careful thinking that way. if you keep pushing him away you're gonna miss your chance. and people that are that genuine are hard to find."

——————

y'all i promise the sting slander isn't personal 😭 that's my baby, it's just for the sake of the plot