Don't Burn On My Watch

17

"I think that when we get out of here, if we get out of here, I'll become inclined to the colder seasons."

Natsu looked surprised. "Are you going to dump me for Gray, then?"

"No, no. You just won't be able to cuddle with me or touch me at all."

"I wouldn't know about the temperature in here." He shrugged. "It feels like a warm blanket."

I chuckled. "It's definitely not the temperature of a 'warm blanket'."

There was a heavy silence resting between us for a while. We had tried and tried to get out of the cage that trapped us but it was built specifically to get stronger if a mage tried to use their abilities to get out. Case in point: The bars are pretty hardened. It's pretty much impossible to break them at this point.

'Natsu. Why don't you try on a different spot?' I would say.

'If I heat it up enough maybe it will surpass the system.' He would reply.

That would go on for a while before Natsu realized "Hey, maybe I actually can't get through."

If only someone had told him.

I tried to use my magic, of course, but it didn't even leave a scratch. When I gave it a few attempts, I decided to give it a rest.

How are we going to get out of here?

Natsu sat and leaned against the bars, moping.

"What did you do to her that made her this way?"

I wasn't facing him but I could tell he was a little taken aback. He drew in a sharp breath of air and sighed heavily.

"I... Cheated on her..."

My fingers rubbed the bar gently in repetitive motions. While my hands tried to figure a way out, my mind was distracted.

"...With Lucy."

I didn't want to cry. But damn, I didn't expect that.

The pain in my eyes grew the more I held it in. Why did it have to be her? Why Lucy?

Sometimes when I feel sad... But really sad, it feels like someone cut my heartstrings. It's like someone took your heart out, but you still manage to function. It's heavy, like a person sitting on your chest. You breathe and breathe but the weight is so strong you almost suffocate. Almost.

My forehead pressed against the bars and I gripped the cold steel tightly. A few hot tears slipped from my eyes, running in streams down my face.

I was worried about how they felt about eachother when Natsu and I first got together, but I thought Natsu had moved on.

"Do you still love her?" I choked.

He said nothing.

I fell forward fast and scraped my knees on the hot rocks. I... was out.

I turned around to see Natsu still sitting there. He was staring at me with wide eyes. "I... I love you."

"But you still love her."

I turned away from him and ran down the dark and hot corridor. The tears on my face were hotter than the air, burning my cheeks as they slipped down my face in heavy streams.

There was a big metal door at the end of the hall that was cold to the touch. Pushing it open, I found Lilith. She sat alone at a table under lamp. One more chair sat across from her, unoccupied.

"Have a seat." She said grimly, motioning to the other side of the table.

I wiped my face with my arm and sniffled.

"I know."

"I understand."

Her fingers massaged my shoulder tenderly. "I think you should understand that I brought Natsu down here so he could understand how he made me feel. I don't feel anything for him."

"Why not Lucy?"

She sighed. "Punishing her won't do any good. Natsu would just move on to another girl under the false impression I'd let it slide. Yes, we broke up shortly after, but..."

Lilith broke my gaze, staring off to the side.

"... I thought he would change with you."

Her hands picked mine up from the table and she held them gently. "I still see a future for you and Natsu, but he needs to learn."

With a swift motion of her hand, she displayed a screen that showed a news report of damage done to areas in Fiore and lives lost as a result.

"You-"

She cut me off. "I lashed out. It was wrong."

"Why did he say he loved me... But also love another woman?" I mumbled.

"Sweetie," She sighed. "He's a boy. Men, on the contrary, realize that love from one woman is all he'll ever get in the end."

"How do I get past this? How do we get past this?"

Lilith let out a hearty laugh. "Honey, I'm not a relationship counselor. Just talk to him."

I nodded.

It might hurt, but it's the right thing to do.