Lovers with Benefits

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Natsu, I...

I like you, a lot."

He froze and the blonde haired girl stopped with him with immediate regret, she already feared that her confession was going to shock him.
Still holding hands with his friend, Natsu looked apathetically to the ground, not hinting on what he was thinking.

The female student wanted to break the silence, and near tears she brought herself to say:
"I know I texted you that I wouldn't come to the party-"

Natsu now remembered.
Lucy told him she can't make it because she wasn't feeling well.

Text message: "Hey Natsu, I don't think I will go to Laxus' party tomorrow. I'm not feeling so well..."

"Eh... girl problems... I hope you and our friends have fun though <3"

"-but in reality I was just scared of telling you when I'm drunk. I'm sorry about lying to you..."

To Lucy's surprise, the hand around hers tightened its grip. She was scared to say more, her silence was the only things holding back her tears.

Fear of ruining their friendship.

"Before I say anything else, I want to you know that you're really dear to me", the pinkette stated with his eyes closed, still facing down.

The cold spring breeze sobered both their minds, sending shivers across their skins yet soothing with refreshment.
The blonde girl smiled gently. She knew Natsu would not get mad. He was a kind, troubled soul.

"If there's anyone that'd I'd love, it would be you", Natsu confessed.

"But I can't", he took a sharp breath before continuing,
"I don't think I am able to love romantically, Luce. I'm sorry."
He looked up, sharp green met soft brown.

"I already thought you wouldn't return these feelings... But that's okay. That response is calming. Thank you for being my friend, Natsu. I appreciate you... And... I'm here. If you need to talk about anything..."

He grinned as typically as it is for him: "Let's get you home, I don't want you to catch a cold!"

"Mhm!"

A lot happened this very night. First the thing with Gray, then the drunken panic attack, and finally a love confession from Lucy.
However, the walk home with one of his dearest friends was more grounding than anything could be to Natsu.
He almost forgot what happened earlier.
So he slept without dreams for once, getting rest and the opportunity for a new, easier day to come.
He felt happy knowing someone liked him, for him.
And not for his body.
______________

Awaking with no major hangover in his bed, Gray ruffled his dark hair out of his face.
With the intent of washing his face and brushing his teeth to refresh himself, the raven-haired man discovered two dark spots on the left side of his neck.
He touched the hickeys softly with a quiety sigh, debating wheter or not to regret last night.

Of course Gray enjoyed the pleasures he experienced with drunken Natsu. However, he wasn't sure how to look or talk to him when they next see each other in school.
The pinkette had a face of regret after they both finished and rushed through the bathroom door.

Gray wasn't sure what that meant.
His school rival seemed to be troubled somehow. He also panicked back in the library when they had detention.
Gray would ask when the right moment came, but he didn't want to trigger an upsetting situation again.

Before going to the kitchen and preparing his belated breakfast, he put on a turtleneck shirt that covered last night's evidence.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, Natsu threw an empty glass on the floor, making it shatter in dozens of pieces.

His first couple of minutes awake were of silent rest, feeling alright about his dunk walk home with Lucy.

Unfortunately, during breakfast he remembered what he had done with Gray.
Or putting it in other words, what Natsu thought had happened: What he had done to Gray.

The party blackout reached from the time he was on his 'mission' to find Gray in the crowd to ending up in the bathroom.

Well...

Natsu didn't know Gray kissed him first.