Unity

3

"What're ya doing here?"

"I forgot I left my clothes here. I was walking by when I remembered, so I was wondering if I could take them back?" Ah, Zeref knew the clothes Gray was wearing yesterday looked somewhat familiar. So Natsu gave him a set of clothes!?

"I'll get them for ya. Come on, you don't have to stand out there," Natsu said, moving aside to let his new friend in. Zeref glared at Gray, but gave him an awkward smile. Gray waved at Zeref, and then followed Natsu up the stairs to get his clothes.

And not even a second later did the doorbell ring. Again.

Now it was Zeref's turn to get the door. And when he answered, it was their relatives. Three boys and a girl stood at the door. Only two out of the four of them were smiling, and one wasn't even supposed to be there. "Come on in guys," Zeref said, sounding somewhat pissed off. The youngest of the group, Wendy, seemed to notice but didn't say anything. She just wore her smile, carrying a bag in tow, and walked in.

"How's it going Zeref?" the oldest one, Gajeel, said, running a hand through his long black hair. He didn't have a bag in tow. It was obvious he wasn't staying.

"Everything is . . . okay I guess," Zeref replied, looking down to the floor with an annoyed expression. Natsu and Gray came running down the stairs, Gray carrying a folded set of clothes. The two boys stopped in their tracks, staring at everyone who stood in the living room.

Wendy was the one who broke the silence.

"Natsu!" the girl squealed, running up to said male to give him a big hug. Natsu picked her up, laughing as she squeezed him tightly. The two then pulled away, and Natsu stared at the younger girl.

"What's up Wendy?"

"Nothing much. The usual. Who's that?" Wendy asked, pointing to Gray. The raven haired male smiled and waved at her. A smile immediately covered the lower half of the young girl's face. "That's Gray. He's my new friend."

"Will he be staying with us, too!?" Wendy asked, her eyes widening with curiousity. Zeref's eyes widened and shook his head no. Sting, one of the other boys, snickered at his cousins actions, draping his arm around his friend's, Rouge, shoulders. To him, it looked like Zeref disliked Gray. It was obvious to everyone else, too. Even Gray himself.

"No. I actually have to go to the store to grab some food for tomorrow. I also have to work a night shift at Starbucks tonight."

Everyone's eyes in the room sparkled. And even Zeref had a tiny spark. Gray placed a hand behind his head and gave off an awkward laugh. Natsu thought that since he was now friends with this guy, maybe he could give him a discount? "What time do you go to work?" Natsu asked Gray, who was looking at him with his wide blue eyes.

"Eight."

"You can stay for dinner if you like," Natsu smiled. His hazel green eyes shouted YES to Gray. And so, the raven slowly nodded, a light blush covering his cheeks.

"Okay . . ."

Zeref clenched his fists when Wendy cheered, hugging onto Gray and not minding that she only met him a little less than five minutes ago.

•••

"What's it like to live alone at the age of sixteen?" Rouge asked, leaning forward on the table. Everyone was waiting for Zeref to serve the food. However, the male was taking his time, despising the thought of eating in the same room with . . . ugh . . . Gray.

Zeref angrily mixed the mashed potatoes, opening the oven to pull out steak that was still sizzling on the pan. Zeref rolled his eyes when Gray explained that living alone at sixteen wasn't bad. The only downside was that you felt lonely and that you had to work hard to keep your rent up.