sea shells come and go, from one place to another. you lose them easily, and tend to find more beautiful ones as replacement. like many things in life.
love, opportunities, changes.
but not us.
take note: female reader
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•∞•
A gentle silence fell between us.
"So."
"So," I mimic.
"Whaddya like to do for fun?" Natsu asks lamely.
I stare at him. "That's the best you can come up with? 'What do you like to do for fun?'" I mock.
"At least I'm trying," he mumbles in his defense.
"Alright," I shrug. "I enjoy reading. The classics, mostly. I love the comforts of my home and what it provides. I hate being unproductive, so I always like to make use of my time doing something. Your turn."
"Ya call being at this party using your time? More like wastin' it," Natsu snorts. I roll my eyes in response.
"Your turn."
"Okay, okaaay," he whines. He scratches his pink hair, contemplating what to say. "Uh... I like my cat. Name's Happy. I... uh, like Fairy Tail and my friends."
"Wow," I clap. "that was amazingly informative."
"Ah, shuddup," he grumbles, but a sudden warm flash appears in his eyes. "I love engineering,' he adds, glancing at me in boyish excitement. The sparks grow in his eyes. "I love the gears... the smell of grease and oil... how the tools sound against metal. The way you rack your brains through all that math and science. I love it all."
"Better," I grin. He grins back.
His happiness is contagious.
Is that healthy for a sarcastic girl like me?
"But you're a surf instructor, right? Why don't you do engineering for a living? I'm sure you can find any shops around here that can use your skill."
His- onyx?- eyes seem to become darker.
"There's one place I want to work at. But..." he stops. "it's complicated."
"I'm a smart girl," I promise, tapping on my temple.
He gives me a wry smile. "Well, there's this place not too far outside town that renovates and designs old cars. Ya know, the old ones from the 60s and 70s? Like the old mustangs?" the pinkette almost jumps from excitement as his words become faster.
I nod. "Hell yeah. Those are beauties."
"I know right?! Gray and Laxus always call them old junk, but damn! They're so sleek and stunning... and just, perfect," he beams. It made my heart go soft. I had to look away, cursing myself at getting gentle with this... adorable, spiky-haired, sweatpants-wearing man.
"So why aren't you working there?" I ask, stopping his daydream. Maybe because it could go on forever, or maybe because I couldn't handle the dreamy look in his eyes.
He laughs weakly. "I'm... kind of a loser, ya see..."
"What does being a loser have to do about being inadequate for a job?"
He almost flinches at my blunt tone.
"The owner... thinks I'm too reckless and brash, my decision-making too fast. He says I'm not capable of handling these sorts of jobs. Every time I go to ask for employment, he refuses to hire me..."
"Well, he's not going to hire you if you don't prove you're good enough, will he?"
"Huh?" Natsu furrows his eyebrows.
"Prove you can handle it. Keep going. Show him your designs. I don't have a lot of knowledge on engineering, but you have to keep trying. What you're doing now isn't good enough, and it won't be good enough, until he hires you."
Instead of reclining at my hard words like everyone else did, he merely looked curious.
"Keep going," I add simply, shrugging my shoulders.
"Damn, (y/n), has anyone ever told you you sound like a general from the military?"
I grin wickedly, thinking back to all the students and co-workers I'd bullied across the years. "Maybe."
"Thanks," he simpers. "but I don't know if I can."
"Do you want me to come with you?" I question, completely meaning it. For the first time in my life, my cheeks flush pink at what I just said. "W-well! I m-mean, if you, if you don't mind, of course," I continue hastily, sputtering.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Natsu grins wide, eyes turning into cute crescents. "I'd love that!"
"Great," I reply rapidly, still pulling at strings for my sudden fidgety behavior that had subtly increased with his bright smile. "Well, I have to go. I going to check on Lucy, I've left her behind for too long...."
With a blank mind, I kiss his cheek.
Natsu's POV
The place where her lips touched my cheek burned.
I could feel the dull sensation of the smear of her lipgloss, a brief memento of the moment.
My body screamed at me to follow the girl down the stairs.
The first ever person to offer to go with me.
The only girl that listened to me intently, solemnity in her eyes. She wasn't sympathetic- she had no room for that right now, and was unafraid to show it. (y/n) treated me like I wanted to be treated; seriously.
Not like some dumb brat with his inventions and countless lighters in his pockets
She gave her brutal advice, and it hurt, but she treated him like someone she'd known for years.
Somebody I got along with quickly was rare. I tend to get annoyed with the long process of becoming friends with visitors when they would just leave, I didn't like getting attached. Fairy Tail was a different story, of course. She'd be an amazing edition.
My thoughts went somewhere else. To her plush lips.
I pray I'd be able to kiss those lips at least once in his life.
A fist grabs me by my shirt and yanks me backwards.
"What the fuck-"
"Natsu, Sabertooth members. Downstairs. Come now."
