Breaking the Habit//Gratsu

30

A/n: Idk if anyone has noticed but from the beginning of the story up until now when the voices in Natsu's mind speak to him I refrain from using punctuation. When he replies to them that's when I use it. Sorry for not making that clear.

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"You lie to everyone around you, but you can't lie to the hole inside you."

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Normal point of view:

'Useless'

'Fuck up'

Natsu scrubbed harder on his skin as negativity swirled around in his head. Patches of his body began to redden at the harsh motion of the sponge. He added more pressure to it as they got louder.

'Gray must hate you now'

'Why would he love someone as horrible as you?'

'You'll never deserve his love'

"I want to get out of this body," Natsu declared under the showerhead while dropping the sponge. He stomped on the drain stopper and let the water fill the tub. He turned it off and slumped down having his head just above the water.

'He'll forget you and find someone better'

'Your nothing'

The voices consumed him and little by little his head sunk lower in the water.

'I hate you, stop talking to me.'

'We're your only company'

'Shut up!'

'Us and the drugs hold onto your sanity'

His nostrils burned and it became harder to breathe. He let the water reach his lungs as he closed his eyes.

With a loud splash, a wave of water spilled on the tiles.

Bubbles formed at the surface from the gurgling and lack of oxygen.

A knock resonated to the congested room and it fell on deaf ears. Natsu had forgotten to lock the door.

Probably from lack of sleep.

He couldn't bring himself to rest during the night. If he was fully awake when entering the bathroom, the door being locked would have been the first thing he did.

Sting.

He pulled his cousin out the water. Natsu leaned forward as violent coughs and gasps emerged from his throat. He had his pruned hands on his knees for support. He fought against the water blocking his airways when his coughs turned into full blown choking.

The blonde hesitated to pat Natsu's back because of all the scars that coated it.

'When someone is choking on any sort of liquid, do not pat them on the back. Leave them be and encourage them to breathe gradually. The pounding of the back will make the problem at hand worse. Make sure they are in the head-down face-down position, because it is essential. That way the substance can expel properly.' His old instructor's voice whispered in the back of his mind.

Instantly he was glad that he took that course with Rouge in grade 10.

He thought it was a waste of time.

It certainly wasn't, particularly for the use of today.

He told the boy his age to breathe slowly, to remember the difference between inhaling and exhaling.