Melting Gray [Gratsu]

25

Chapter Twenty-Five

☆ Natsu Dragneel ☆

A/N: Warning: This chapter will probably make you cry and/or throw your device across a room. Good luck.

I never thought I'd say this, but pizza seemed so unappetizing right now.

"Moving...?" I stuttered, grabbing the fabric of my jeans tightly to stop swaying. "But... we can't."

"Natsu...," Igneel reasoned, "I know it would be hard for you to move in the middle of the school year, but you're very good at adapting to new things. You'll do fine."

"That's not it!" I cried, feeling something inside in me snap. "Moving in the middle of my senior year? Do you know how hard it will be for me to make new friends with people who've probably known each other since kindergarden? And what? I go to some new school for a couple months and then I've graduated! Why can't we move after that?"

"It's important to establish new connections as soon as possible!" Igneel argued. "You need to learn this skill!"

"That's not what this is about!" I shouted. "Establish new connections? Yeah, buddy-buddy with some nerds for a few months before I never see them again? That's a real good idea," I said sarcastically.

"Don't you speak to me in that kind of tone! I'm your father and you will respect me!" Igneel raised his voice.

"It's hard to do that when you're hardly ever around to even be a father!" I screamed, shooting up in my chair.

"How dare you say that to me!" Igneel yelled. "Don't you know how hard it is for me, too? Leaving the last damn thing your mother owned- if we move it'll be like cutting that last connection! It's difficult for both of us, Natsu, and don't you forget that!"

"I'm not leaving my friends!" I told him firmly.

"You will, and you'll learn to accept it!" Igneel slammed his fist on the table.

"You saw how happy I was just a couple minutes ago...," I trailed off weakly, sadness creeping in my tone. "How elated I was about Gray and us, how perfect my life was going..." I felt tears brim at my eyes. "And now it's all ruined. I need my friends, I need my house, I need Gray!" I choked up, pushing my food away. "Why do you have to make me leave everything important to me!?"

"I just want what's best for you, son," Igneel whispered.

"Yeah, well, destroying my first real happiness in a long time is totally for the best," I muttered angrily, wiping my eyes and rushing up the stairs into my room. Igneel called after me desperately but I couldn't hear him, or rather, I refused to listen to him.

I slammed my door, threw my shoe at the wall, and flopped on my bed, breaking out into loud cries. My pillow muffled my shaking sobs for the most part, but emotions were pouring out of me so loudly I couldn't keep track. I cried my eyes out for who knows how long- minutes, hours- and eventually flopped over so I was staring at the ceiling.

"Oh, Natsu, what are you going to do?" I asked myself out loud. Spend the next few months with Gray and hang on to our last moments? Fight to stay with him? I was simply at a loss- someone had pulled the brakes on my metaphorical stick shift and I was now trying to get unstuck out of the figurative roadside mud.

I wanted to stay with my friends. I wanted to stay with Gray. But me possibly breaking my father's honor in me for a boy- was it really worth it? Would Gray and I stay together forever or simply break up, discovering it just wasn't meant to be?

I needed more time to think about it, but one thing's for sure- if I left Gray alone, he'd have no one, and it'd be all my fault. Sighing sadly, I flipped the covers over my head, curled up into a miserable ball, and fell asleep.

When Monday morning came along, I fished around for my phone. The time said 9:31.

"Crap, I'm late!" I freaked out. It was already second period, and I must've slept through my entire alarm and the snoozes. I was about to throw myself out of bed and into the shower when I saw a notepad resting on my bed. Curious, I crawled over and picked it up. On the page it was flipped to, Igneel had hastily written out a note.

Natsu,

When I came in last night, you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you. If you're not up to go to school tomorrow, you can stay home. I'm sorry for springing this idea up on you. We'll talk more about it later. I love you, Dad.

I tossed the notepad on my beside table and flopped back into bed. I felt worthless right now, and now I definitely wasn't going to go to school. I didn't want anyone to see my blotchy red eyes and I'd probably break down at random points of the day anyway, and that'd be horribly embarrassing.

Throughout the day I fell in and out of consciousness, huddled up into a cocoon of blankets and duvets and thinking of everything about everything. As the endless tears continued to cascade down my face, I wondered if there was another option.

I was turning eighteen in January, wasn't I? That would make me a legal adult... Capable of owning my own apartment!

"That would be perfect! I'd have my own place, I'd still go to Magnolia High, there'd be no need to pay dorm rent fees, and best of all, I wouldn't have to leave everyone!" I shouted to no one as I bolted upright in bed. Then I realized why that wouldn't work and my smile dropped and I started crying again. I have no money saved and I couldn't earn enough money in time, so it would be pointless to even try.

I was utterly desperate for any idea to clutch on to.

My mind racked for any other ideas- anything that could save me from moving an hour away and leaving my little slice of joy. My eyes were too exhausted from bawling that I shut them so they'd stop feeling irritated. There was so much running though my head, but somehow, I fell back into my comatose once again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When I woke up, my vision was blurred out, so I didn't notice that Gray himself was swiveling in my desk chair instead of some robber. I squeaked in fright and threw a pillow at them without thinking.

"Ah! Ouch, Natsu!" Gray whined, rubbing his ear. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Don't scare me like that!!" I repeated, my zooming heart rate showing no sign of slowing down. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't at school today, so I wanted to tell you the homework. I couldn't text you because of obvious reasons, so I just came over only to find you in your room and sniffling in your sleep," Gray explained nonchalantly, shrugging. "You sick?"

"No," I mumbled, falling back into my hermit crab-like sanctuary. "And thanks for the homework. You can go now."

"Well, that's not very nice, now is it?" Gray said amusedly. "What's wrong?"

When I didn't answer, he repeated it again with a bit more worry. "Natsu? What's wrong? Everything okay?"

"No," I answered, bursting into tears for the billionth time that day. "No, nothing will ever be okay."

Gray didn't ask any questions after that- he read the mood and understood I didn't need to be pounded with an interrogation. So he simply kicked off his shoes, wordlessly slid into my bed, wrapped his around my shaking torsos, and held me tight, whispering soft, kind words in my ear.

"Shh... It's gonna be alright... I'm here for you... I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

A/N: And... That's it.

JUST KIDDING! HAHA! I would never do that to you guys! We got a few more chapters to go, so don't you worry! This is just a filler chapter, I'm sorry. I may have a time skip in the next chapter, and you probably won't like it. Don't fret, it will all work out in the end. I wouldn't leave a story like this.

Anyone have any predictions on how this book is going to turn out?