Epilogue
The song Gray and Natsu dance to is on the side, and it's what inspired this chapter. Thank you for reading! <33
Gray's POV
I watched silently at Natsu as he stood in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom. I saw him smile at his appearance, because for once, he was genuinely happy about it. He fixed his tie by tightening it and he ran a hand through his hair nervously, nodding in approval.
For the past week, I've been helping Natsu with getting better. I eventually convinced him to open up more about the root of the problem with his parents, and they're researching compromises for meals that everyone can and enjoy and are healthy to eat. As for the rest of his insecurities, I suggested counseling or going to a therapist, and even though he was reluctant and frustrated, he eventually gave in. From what he told me, it was going well. He was learning to open up more and I could already spot an improvement in his happiness.
He caught me gazing at him and glared at my reflection. I pushed myself off the bed and stood behind him, resting my chin on his shoulder and looking into the mirror. Natsu's gaze flickered back to himself, and I saw his eyes flash over his stomach for a moment.
"You look wonderful," I admitted, wrapping my arms around his torso. I patted his stomach tenderly, smiling lightly. "I'm so proud of you, you know."
A vermillion blush coated Natsu's cheeks and he jumped away childishly. "Stop being so romantic," He whined, crossing his arms. "Does my tie look straight?"
"About as straight as you," I joked, chuckling. He huffed and adjusted it again. His tie was a cream color, funnily enough. He picked it out because he wanted to continue the joke he made at that asshat, Laxus, the other week. Speaking of the bully, he was suspended for three days and has been flying under the radar ever since he got back.
"Do I look okay?" He gestured to his torso when he seemed satisfied by the silk neckwear. "Not too ugly or something?"
"Most definitely not ugly," I promised him seriouly, taking his hand and kissing the back of his palm. "Come on, you look hot. Let's go- Rogue texted me saying they booked a limo and they'd be here to pick us up any moment," I pulled him towards the bedroom door. I didn't even bother to explain who 'they' was. It was Sting and Rogue, obviously. They were like a collective pair- you couldn't even conjure up a proper sentence without sticking them together.
"How did they manage to get a limo tonight?" Natsu asked with surprise as we bounded down the staircase. I slid my hand along the railing, watching my shined dress shoes to make sure I didn't trip and fall, because he knew he was prone to klutzy accidents and that didn't need to happen on an evening as important as this.
A flash of light and a snap temporarily blinded me, and I groaned when I saw my mother holding up her phone. "Jeez, mum," A groan passed my lips. "We aren't even down the stairs yet."
Mom took another picture before lowering the phone. I saw there were happy, prideful tears in her eyes. I rolled my eyes and scooted as far away from the camera as possible. I hated having my photo taken. I always looked like I hadn't slept in weeks or jacked up high on marijuana.
"Come on, it's customary to take a prom photo! You know this, boys," Natsu's mom explained, wagging her finger teasingly.
Natsu sighed dramatically. "If we must," He said sluggishly. I inched closer to him, protectively wrapping my arms around his waist and leaning my head on his. Natsu wrapped his arms around me as well, fashioning us in an awkward half-side hug. I felt Natsu's steady heart beat against my chest and it reminded me that Natsu was still there, as crazy obvious as that sounded. With everything that's crashed down upon him lately, I've been so worried, but that sound of pumping of blood meant he's survived through it all.
"I'm Natsu 2.0," He dubbed himself, funnily enough. I was still so proud of the way he was handling himself this past week and a half. There's been major improvement and I know he's well on his way to returning to full health soon.
Mom snapped about a hundred pictures in total, no kidding. I think she was just holding down the button to get as much footage as possible, and I knew I'd have to show her how to mass delete the extraneous, poor-quality ones she didn't want to keep. Off to the side, the dads were proudly smiling and making idle side chat, probably about work or football or something manly in that area.
After Mom demanded we switch up our pose, going from formal to funky to silly, I got fed up with cheesily smiling and striking poses like a celebrity that I demanded that was enough. Mom even snapped more pictures as we heard the doorbell ring from outside.
Saved by the bell, I thought gratefully as I watched with glee as Natsu unlocked the door. Sting stood on the front porch, donning a sharp tuxedo and a dark grey bowtie. His hair was spiky like usual and he had taken out his earrings.
"Hi, everyone. I'll be needing to kidnap these two here for the evening if you don't mind," Sting jutted a thumb at us. The parents laughed and shooed us off. Natsu and I escaped outside and we headed towards the waiting limo. Through the rolled-down window, I could see Rogue unable to keep his gaze off of Sting like he was a pack animal and Sting was a bogo sale on raw meat. I held back a scoff and held the door open for my date to pass through, climbing in after him.
Inside the limosuine was pretty swanky, the plushy velvet seats had a royal plum colour to them and were very high-quality upholstery. Soft music was playing from the radio up front, where the driver was sitting. The backseat quickly filled up with a loud mismash of animated chatter and I could hardly keep up.
"You guys did amazing for your end-of-the-year performance!" Natsu gushed at Sting and Rogue. "The sets were great, who painted them?"
"Yukino," Sting replied proudly. "And thanks, I know. I was totally awesome."
"And modest too," Rogue teased, jabbing his finger into his side. Sting jumped in surprise and poked him back forcefully, and they disappeared into their personal world of poking wars and eventually, kisses.
I gave Natsu a grossed-out look. He reciprocated the expression, and when we heard the smacking sounds of mouth against mouth, I was almost gagging. "Okay! Okay! Save it for after prom," I covered my ears and scrunched my eyes shut, scarred for life.
Sting wiped his mouth. "You're just jealous, bitchatchos," He waved his hand at us half-heartedly.
Natsu and I shared a wary look. Bitchatchos?
The rest of the ride was just mindless discussion about prom and gossip about who was going with who.
"Lucy sent me a picture of her dress," Natsu told us. "And it is pink."
"How pink...?" We asked at the same time hesitantly.
"Like someone barfed cotton candy all over her. I dont think she'll be able to go to the bathroom in that," Natsu chuckled. "And then Flare has a much-less frou-frou dress. Very formal and dark purple."
"Good for them," Rogue nodded curteously. "This is going to be a good night, all of us having fun together in one of our last senior moments."
Sting nodded in agreement. "It may be super expensive, but I think it's totally worth it. I heard the theme is A Night in Paris. I'm excited to see how the gym is decorated," He bounced childishly in his seat, making us all laugh. Sting pouted immaturely and snuggled into Rogue's arm.
When we arrived at the school (after a few moments of slowly making our way through the backed-up drop-off line), we followed the people towards the gym. From outside, I could already hear shitty bubblegum pop music being played. I didn't mind, though. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would ruin my mood tonight. It was too perfect to destroy.
I felt Natsu link his arm through mine and I smiled down at him, feeling overjoice explode inside of me like hyperactive fireworks when I saw the radiating, sunshine-y happiness in his face. I gasped when we walked through the gymnasium doors, because the previously drab teenage physical education hell headquarters had been tranformed to, well... A Night in Paris.
A silvery, shimmering profession construction of the Eiffel Tower was in the far corner of the gym, reaching halfway up to the sky-high ceilings. it was set up nearby a camera and a fake cobblestone runway to stand on for a photo. I made a mental note to avoid that corner, for I had my evening's share of pictures.
As for the rest of the gym, fairy lights had been hung in arcs around the basketball hoops to make a twinkling horizon. Pretty tables with ivory tablecloths and tropical orange and pink flower centerpieces and pink glitter were surrounding the dance floor, currently occupied by about twelve couples, considering we were fairly early to arrive. To one side, a vast table of food seemed to be calling my name.
I noticed Sting and Rogue immediately ditched us to dance. I scoffed and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Bastards," I muttered under my breath irritably as they scampered off, hand in hand. Natsu giggled, a sound that should be illegal to come out of an 18-year-old's mouth, and I chuckled as well.
I spotted a chocolate fountain and tugged on Natsu's blazer, pointing excitedly.
"What? What?" He guessed. When he spotted the chocolate fountain, his eyes seemed to sparkle. However, he cleared his throat and shook his head. "No, Gray. Natsu 2.0 is healthy and refuses to indulge on savory liquid chocolate."
That chocolate looked divine, but supporting my boyfriend was a hundred times more important to me. "Lets go get some punch then?" I offered meekly. He shrugged, preffering that alternative to something like salad or water. He figured a bit of a splurge would be alright, because tonight was a special occasion in deservance of a celebration.
We filled up red Solo cups with the pink-tinted punch, sipping slowly. We stepped out of the way so others could get food. We decided to save a large table for all our friends, and nabbed one for eight.
"Say," I said suddenly as we took our seats, so no one else would steal this table. "Did you ever hear from that Taylor girl again? How is she?"
Natsu shrugged half-heartedly. "We chatted one night. She and that Cameron dude are dating. Guess it really never worked out for us after all," He answered dejectedly.
"Hey! What about me?!" I gasped, feigning hurt. He snorted and shook his head.
"Well, obviously I don't care about that now. I've come to the dark side," He quoted Star Wars like a nerd, and I couldn't believe he actually just said that. I face-palmed, shaking my head bemusedly. "Hey! Quit laughing!"
"I'm sorry, you're just too cute," I admitted. He blushed and stared at the forks on the table setting. He didn't get a chance to reply, because then the rest of our friends sprung over to our table.
"Hiya!" Lucy waved. I looked up to find her engulfed in a strapless, extremely pink poofy number. She had to bunch up her dress to barely squeeze into a chair. Flare waved at us, being the strong silent type she was, and crossed her long legs politely as she sat.
"Yo," Gajeel shot us a peace sign. His arm was around Levy, who were matching in blue- Levy's spaghetti strap, knee-length party dress mirroring the shade of cerulean on Gajeel's necktie. Levy lifted her chin in a silent hello and they took their seats between Lucy and Natsu. "Where's the fantabulous acting duo?" Gajeel wondered out loud.
"Shaking their groove thang," Lucy pointed towards the dance floor. I turned my head to see Sting spinning Rogue around speedily, much to his dismay, as they danced to a pop song I fairly recognized from the radio. The techno-dubstep beat filled my ears and shook my bones, it was so annoyingly loud. I had to shout to be heard over the noise.
"They look like they're enjoying themselves," I noted. Grunts and nods of agreement echoed around the table.
"Let's all get food, everyone," Levy announced. "I'm starved."
"I'll save our spot while you all go," Natsu offered. I shot him a worried look and he smiled at me like everything was alright. "Get me something would you? And maybe a chocolate-covered strawberry or two on the side?" He flashed a cheeky grin. I smiled in relief and nodded, happy to do so.
We all got in line and grabbed various things to eat. There were mostly high-calorie snack foods that I knew Natsu wouldn't go for, so I got some cheese, fruit, and a scoop of rotini noodles for him. I drizzled chocolate over a large strawberry and stuck it on the side. The chocolate almost immediately hardened and I watched it, mystified, as it formed a delectable, sweet combination.
I got some things for myself, with more than a few chocolate-covered strawberries and pineapple slices myself. I then waited for everyone else to grab their food, and then we headed back to the table, where Natsu was starting at the empty stage quietly. He looked dazed and out of it, but when I sat down, he snapped out of his internal reverie and smiled thankfully at me when I slid his plate towards him.
"Thanks," He pressed a tender kiss to my temple. I blushed and shrugged one shoulder. From across the table, Lucy squealed happily, clenching her fists and doing a happy dance in her chair. I eyed her suspiciously, and she looked at me with a challenged expression on her face.
"What?" She acted like she hadn't said or done anything. "Hey, you two are so adorable, I can't handle it," She defended herself sassily, snapping her fingers. I gave her a flat look and popped a milk chocolate-coated pineapple slice in my mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
Natsu had already finished when I swallowed my last bite. "Come on, let's dance," I took his hand and pulled him into a standing position abruptly. He jolted in surprise but grinned happily nonetheless. "Sorry guys, catch ya later."
I led Natsu away from our friends and towards the dance floor, where a fast-paced song sounded like it was ending. We shuffled around awkwardly, flinging ourselves around like the people around us were doing. I shook my shoulders out and bit my lip nervously, watching Natsu, who seemed to be enjoying himself by moving freely and beaming to himself, dancing like no one was watching.
God, he is perfection, I couldn't help but think, feeling heat rise to my cheeks and quite possibly another nether region on my body. Must've been the tightness of my slacks and all the rubbing from moving around. Yes. That was it.
Ah, who was I kidding.
The song ended shortly after that, and another song didn't pick up, because a red-haired girl had stepped up to the microphone on the stage, holding two envelopes. Next to him was a blue-haired, very hot boy with a funky tattoo under his right eye, carefully holding four crowns on a faux-velvet pillow with golden tassles.
"Um, hello! I'm Erza, president of the Student Government. Jellal here and I are here to announce the Prince, Princess, Queen, and King of the 2015 Prom," She announced, leaning into the mic. Her shimmery sequin dress dazzled under the spotlight being shone down on her. "First, the Prince and Princess."
Erza paused for dramatic effect to open the envelope and scanning the notecard. The gymnasium was deathly quiet, ready for her to announce the winners of the ballot. "Our prince, Freed Justine!"
A dude with super long green hair staggered up on the stage nervously, twiddling his fingers as Jellal placed a plastic crown on his head. "And our princess, Lisanna Strauss!"
Lisanna's older sister and teacher/chaperone of the prom, Mirajane Strauss, wolf-whistled as she bounded up the steps, carrying the back of her wedding-style dress so she wouldn't trip. I heard her short heels clack against the wood as she took her position to be crowned.
"A round of applause for our juniors, please!" Erza ushered to the two, who were flushing from bashfulness. After a moment of letting them relish in the applause, she lowered her voice dramatically. "And now for your King and Queen."
When I heard my name being called, I was too surprised to react. I felt a push on my back, and whirled around to find it to be Natsu. "What are you waiting for? Go!" He exclaimed, pointing to the stage. Nervous, I thumped up the sidesteps and stood by Lisanna as the crown was placed on my head. I could smell the strength of Jellal's cologne as he stood in front of me, and I recognized it as the same one my dad wears on date nights with my mom.
"And your queen..." Erza paused. "Juvia Lockser."
Juvia emerged from the crowd reluctantly, shining like a diamond in a swishy sky-blue dress that went to her ankles. She bit her lip as our eyes met and I offered her a tiny smile. She happily reciprocated with a beam of her own and stood next to me.
"You look nice," I told her under my breath as she stared straight ahead. The silver tiara was placed upon her curly blue tresses and she looked up at me.
"Thanks, you too. Who did you come here with?" She scanned the audience.
"Natsu," I said monotonously. She nodded once, imperceptibly, but I saw it nonetheless.
"I'm happy for you, Gray," She mumbled, smiling at the crowd. I beamed as well, although my smile became genuine when I caught the eye of my boyfriend.
"Thanks for everything, Juvia," I told her honestly. "What you did was tough, but I appreciate it, because I'm very happy with Natsu."
"That's great," She said genuinely. "I'm glad."
"Are we cool, then?" I wondered.
"Yeah, we're cool," She shrugged one shoulder wimpily.
"Then dance with me," I demanded.
She looked surprised. "Huh?"
"You heard me," I repeated. "Dance with me. Just one doesn't hurt, right?"
"I guess not," She chuckled. "Just after we get off this stage."
"And a round of applause to our seniors!" Erza pointed to Juvia and I. I waved at the crowd as they cheered our names. We stood there in silence for a minute until the roar of the audience died down.
"That's all, folks! Now, let's get back to our prom!" Erza cheered. Everyone clapped for us as we all went down the stairs.
The dance kicked back into full-swing as the DJ set a new track, a semi-slow song. It was another song I didn't know the name of, but it was slightly more bearable to listen to. Juvia placed her hands around my neck and I put mine on her waist delicately.
We watched each other, not knowing what to say, moving back and forth to the beat. We danced in silence, enjoying the quiet company as we swayed calmly, like rolling waves on a low tide.
When the song ended, the cloud of awkwardness had ceased to exist and I thanked her for the dance. She kissed my cheek softly, watching me a second longer before disappearing back into the crowd. A bit shaken up but otherwise unfazed, I went to go find Natsu.
"Hi," I tapped his shoulder when I found him at the table again.
"Hey," He said quietly. "How was your dance with the queen?" He asked with a slight bitterness laced in his tone.
"Ooh, is somebaby jealous?" I cooed, tickling his side. He laughed and slapped my hand away, standing up.
"Yes. Because you're my hot date, not hers," He took my hand and we went back to the open dance space. A slow song began to blast through the speakers, and it was the first song I recognized.
Natsu stood there awkwardly for a moment, watching me curiously, waiting for me to say something.
"Do you, like, wanna dance...?" He offered, holding his hand out. I nodded immediately and took it, getting into the same dance position as we did in the rain last week. Natsu was remembering this memory as well, I could see it in the spark in his eyes and the blush on his face.
I can't find the words to explain, just how much you got me going insane...
"How are you feeling?" I questioned under my breath, referring to his stomach.
"I think I'm good. I ate most of what you got me and I feel little to no need to puke right now," He responded. "But maybe that's because we're dancing and I don't wanna give this opportunity up. My eyes lit up and I nearly hugged him with pride, but instead I beamed and squeezed his hand affirmatively.
"Words cannot explain how proud I am of you," I whispered. "You're so inspiring."
When you speak to me, sometimes we fight, oh, I stutter my words, I say nevermind...
"Ah, shut up, I'm not," He denied it shyly. "Now, you, on the other hands look at you. Prom king! Congratulations, by the way."
"When in reality, I'm just a peasant," I admitted. "And you're the king."
Natsu narrowed his eyes, not taking it. "Nope. Nuh-uh. Wrong answer."
"Fine," I huffed, giving in to his condescending glare. "We'll be kings together."
"I like the sound of that," Natsu wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
'Cause even when you just walk by, well, I look around, to seem occupied...
Our dancing position shifted so we were closer and the side of Natsu's head was resting on my shoulder. He was staring off into space absentmindedly as I held him close, wrapping my arm tight around his back, but still being careful about his healing rib cage. We were just swaying at this point, like we were fluttering in the breeze like two delicate flower petals in the mid-afternoon wind.
'Cause I'm trying so hard to hide
Yeah, all of these feelings inside
"Natsu?" I whispered against his ear.
"Mhmm?" He mumbled, sounding slightly tired. My eyes fluttered shut and I continued to swish back and forth, back and forth.
Cause I get weak in the knees, fall head over heels, baby, and every other cheesy cliché....
"What would you say if I told you I think I love you?" I said quizzically, hopefully it wouldn't startle him.
I felt Natsu tense up automatically, but he seemed to relax when I squeezed his hand again. "I'd probably say I think I love you back," He muttered.
"Good," I nodded a tiny bit, staring straight ahead. I thankfully managed to keep my voice calm, level, and crack-free.
I was glad he couldn't see the shining smile on my face that gave away every blissful emotion I felt in my chest right now.
Oh, I'm swept off my feet, my heart skips a beat, but there's really only one thing to say...
Natsu lifted his head and looked at me for a moment before he brought our lips together. They molded together like puzzle pieces instantly, because there was that je ne sais quoi that told me it was just right to be this way. I nibbled on Natsu's bottom lip playfully, a trick I learned that made him weak in the knees and feeling like jelly.
God damn, you're beautiful to me,
oh, you're everything...
We kissed like there was no tomorrow, so full of love and passion and the burning need for each other. The soft tune of the love song continued to be the backdrop of our scene. I felt like I was floating on Cloud 9, there was just no physical way for me to be any happier than I was right in this moment.
Yeah, that's beautiful,
"I'm glad I drank those stupid Red Heaven sugar bombs," Natsu whispered against my mouth. The vibration tickled my skin and I stifled a giggle.
"Yeah," I agreed immediately. "Me too."
Yes, to me.
The (real) End.
- - - -
Hiiiiiii! Yay! It's complete! Tell me what you thought! Was it a cheese overload? Ah, who cares! Embrace the cheese!
Sorry about the Gruvia moment, I couldn't help myself! It was cute... I hope.
Anyway! For my next fan fiction, I have a couple ideas, but they're either already taken or really dumb. Is anyone still interested in a Youtuber AU? Any other requests? I'm seriously open to ideas.
I'm going to be focusing on my Phan story for now (check that bad boy out on my profile), but I promise a new Gratsu fic will be up really soon! I may also post a collab fic that I've been writing with my friend, it's Lashton (from 5SOS).
Again, thank you SO much for supporting me through my 2nd completed fan fiction! Lots of love! Peace out, Girl Scouts! :) xx