How Writing Fanfiction Saved Me

The Other Shoe

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

Chapter 7: The Other Shoe

Zeref looked at himself in the mirror trying to decide whether he was presentable enough for brunch at the Fullbusters. He supposed he looked alright, was there really a correct dress code for telling someone you were dying? He doubted it, once the words came out of his mouth they wouldn't be looking at his clothes anyway.

He had spent the last few days staying with his grandfather who was loath to leave him alone at the moment. Truth be told he was a nervous wreck. When he had been getting ready to do this last time his dad had been with him every step of the way. This time he was alone and he didn't know what he could do to lessen the blow. He could only think of how uncomfortable it would be in the house. The only positive he could see is that he wouldn't have to spend so much time hiding how he felt. The gig would be as they say, up. To counter this Gramps had decided they should go on a family vacation, that way they could all deal with the aftermath together. Zeref thought it was a terrible idea but the old man had already taken care of everything. They would be leaving on Wednesday.

He heard a knock on the door and looked away from the mirror to see his cousin Laxus standing at the door uncomfortably.

"Gramps wants to know if you're ready to go?"

"Yeah, tell him I'll be out in a minute.", Zeref said, "Hey Laxus, thanks for coming without a fuss. I imagine there were other things you would rather be doing on a Sunday." Zeref had to admit that living with Gramps was certainly mellowing Laxus out some. He no longer seemed as angry as Zeref remembered.

"It's fine, I never say no to free food. It'll be nice to see Pinkie and Little Bit too.", Laxus said shyly.

He wished he could say the same. He was well aware that after today things would not be the same. He just hoped that it went better than he was anticipating. He gave himself one last pep talk and left the room to get into his grandfather's waiting car.

The ride to the Fullbuster's house was uneventful. Laxus and Gramps tried to engage him in conversation but soon left him alone to his thoughts when they couldn't get him to answer in anything more than monosyllables. They soon arrived and Gramps let Laxus get out of the car first so that he could talk to Zeref briefly.

"Are you ready for this?", Makarov asked his grandson worriedly.

"Not even remotely.", Zeref said nervously, "They're going to hate me."

"They're not going to hate you.", Makarov assured him. He closed his eyes in frustration. It was so unfair that an old coot like him could live this long but someone with as much promise as Zeref Dragneel was barely given a chance at life, just like his mother. Even she got to have love and a family though, Zeref wouldn't even get that. He felt a jolt of panic, suddenly had this uneasy feeling that telling the others would somehow accelerate the whole process and he found himself almost telling his grandson to postpone it for a few days but he knew it would be cruel to ask him to do so after he had worked himself up to it. He shook off the thought as an old man's paranoia. "We'll get through it together."