during your public health lecture, your phone buzzes with a few messages, making your eyes widen
natsu
today, 1:40 pm
are you mad at me?
no
are you sad at me ??
no
did i do something wrong ?
idk did you?
(y/n) :/
i'm just trying to help
you've been avoiding me at the gym and looking sad for days
what did i do?
obviously you did something if you feel the need to keep asking
so out with it
what are you hiding
what ???
im not hiding anything!
i just wanna know why you're sad so i can help
ok
you're confusing
a wave of guilt washes over you as you lock the screen, opting not to respond.
the closer you and natsu got, the more your trust issues intensified. and you were trying your best not to let them get the best of you, but you were miserably failing at doing so.
you head to the gym after class, praying today would be the day natsu took a day off, or was helping wendy with her homework or was hanging out with gray or something, so you didn't have to see him before or during your workout.
but sure enough, there he is, grinning as he talks to erza and gray. you hurriedly make your way into the locker room, hoping they don't see you.
instead of warming up in your usual spot, you go to the other end of the gym, beginning your stretches facing the opposite direction of natsu.
he looks away from the conversation in your direction, sighing heavily.
"she's still avoiding you?"
"it's been like two weeks. i don't know what to do. i keep asking her what's wrong and if i did something to upset her, but then she gets all 'i don't know did you do something? tell me what you did' and then she just stops talking."
"well, did you do something?"
natsu gives gray a look, making the taller boy shrug.
"doesn't hurt to ask."
"why not ask her to talk in person? it's a lot easier to avoid conversation over text."
"i don't even know if she'd agree to that. i guess i can try though."
——
(y/n) :)
today, 3:10 pm
hey
ik you're upset w me for whatever reason
but everyone in the house is doing game night tn and you and kurenai are invited
i'll leave you alone while you're here :/
ok
he stares at his phone, willing to see you typing again, to just say something.
but, he doesn't get another message.
he sighs, setting his phone on his desk before heading downstairs to help everyone else set up for the night.
"(y/n)."
"hm?" you look up from your laptop, kurenai standing in your doorway with a stoic look on her face.
"are you coming with me tonight?"
you internally groan. you'd hoped kurenai would just catch the hint and not ask you.
"i wasn't planning on it, i have a lot of homework."
"yea, wrong answer. yesterday you told me you got ahead in all your classes for the next week because you needed something to do."
"that doesn't mean i don't have any homework at all."
"your teacher opens up the assignments one week at a time." she raises a brow, knowing she's shut down any of your excuses.
damn her for knowing me so well and being such a good listener
"fine. i just don't know if i want to."
"even if you're gonna keep being weird and ignoring natsu, you have other friends there. wendy keeps asking about you, and you haven't seen levy or cana or juvia in weeks. they miss you. and i miss you. you're pushing everyone away, not just natsu."
"that isn't what i'm trying to do."
"what did natsu even do? you guys were fine a couple weeks ago."
"i don't know. he keeps asking me what he did wrong so obviously he did something."
"are you serious?" kurenai's change in tone makes your face falter, not having heard her speak like that in a long time.
"he's asking you what he did wrong because you're acting completely different. not because he's hiding something."
"how would you know? you're in his head to speak for him?"
"it's so obvious to everyone but you! look at the way he treats you when you two are just friends! don't you think if he was after anything else he would've done it by now?!"
"i don't know! he could just be putting up a front to get me to let him in, and that's not a risk i'm willing to take!"
"he's been more respectful to you as a friend than sting ever was as your boyfriend!"
"i..." you trail off, realizing she's right. the few times you had fought with kurenai, you hated it because she was so level-headed and had no problem calling you out on your shit.
"sting was a red flag from the start. believe me or not, but it's true. him cheating wasn't the single incident that damaged you two's relationship and we both know it. he showed who he really was time and time again, and you are the one who kept forgiving him and made him feel like he could get away with something drastic."
"that doesn't mean i should just trust anyone right off the bat!"
"i'm not saying you should! i don't think you should blindly trust anyone, or keep giving trust to someone that doesn't deserve it. but he cares about you so much and it's right in your face! if you outright refuse to trust anyone that's clearly doing right by you, nothing is gonna be good enough for you and you're gonna sell yourself short for the rest of your life!"
"why do you care so much?! it's not your relationship, why don't you just mind your perfect little girlfriend and let me deal with my shit?"
"do not speak on my relationship like that ever again. i care so much because you're my best friend and i love you with all my heart. i'm not gonna stand by and shut up while you make yourself fucking miserable!" she snaps, making you gulp.
you stare at each other for a few seconds, kurenai breathing deeply from her rant.
"i-i'm sorry." your voice is small, feeling a lump form in your throat.
"apologize to yourself babes. you don't deserve to torment yourself all the time. it's okay for someone other than me to be nice to you." she makes her way over to your desk chair, hugging you around your shoulders and pulling you into her torso. you throw your arms around her waist, feeling tears slip down your cheeks.
"i don't wanna get hurt again nai."
"you think i'd ever let that happen again?" you look up and see her comforting smile back on her face, only making you cry more.
"n-no."
"i've got your back, always. and if you try to be stubborn about anyone who's not good to you ever again, i'll kick your ass." you both burst out laughing, finally lightening the mood.
"thank you."
"don't mention it. now get ready, i gotta settle the score with gajeel in monopoly."