Breaking the Habit//Gratsu

09

"Give up on that fantasy."

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Gray's point of view:

Natsu and I got out of Lyon's car and walked to the mall entrance. I felt someone following us, but I dismissed it and walked alongside the flame brain.

"You know you could get Oreos and Pocky at the mall right?" I told him and he turned to me.

"Your brother needs to learn not to touch my snacks so he should buy them." He corrected and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Have you decided on what you'll be for Halloween?" I asked trying to gain an idea of what I should dress up as.

"Most likely a ninja from that show we always used to watch as kids," He muttered beneath his scarf.

We're going on a trip to memory lane and I'm lost. What show must he be talking about? Wait..

"Boruto...no Naruko? Narupo?" I asked and he deadpanned.

"Naruto the show was Naruto, how could you forget that? Especially since we always did the ninja run at recess during tag." He whispered the last part. His lips slightly curved upwards. But the smile left as fast as it came. Did he just fucking smile. Oh, my god. I want to be the one to make him smile like that. He rarely smiles. He used to smile at everything and was all bubbly. What happened to him?

"Oh, the nin nin anime!" I put my index finger and middle finger together and did the same with my other hand, bringing them to form a cross like a jutsu. He chuckled lightly and walked in front of me.

I haven't heard him laugh in ages.

"There is a cosplay store at the other side of the mall," He spoke calmly.

I nodded and we entered the store and I saw literally costumes to every anime and cartoon out there.

"Natsu why don't we both be ninjas?" I asked hopefully. Who wouldn't want to dress up as a Konoha ninja with a friend?

"Whatever." Natsu huffed and went to search for the Naruto section. I followed behind. I saw headbands from every village in the show, costumes for individual characters, Akatsuki cloaks, the chunin wear and what not.

He grabbed some chunin wear and I took the same thing with a few altercations. He had black ANBU pants, a fishnet shirt, a black mid sleeve shirt, blue ninja sandals, a Konoha headband, a green chunin vest and black leather fingerless gloves. But I had blue ANBU pants, blue mid sleeve shirt, and black ninja sandals.

We paid for our items and advanced out the mall. When we were walking to the parking lot I had that feeling again.

Eyes were watching me intensely.

"Juvia you can come out now." Natsu uttered in a flat tone. My eyes widened as Juvia came out of hiding.

So she was the one stalking us.

"H-hi Gray. Natsu." She greeted shyly.

"Why were you stalking us?" I inquired. She played with her fingers and started turning red.

"Gray, would you like to go on a date with me?" Juvia sang loudly out of nowhere.

"Look Juvia I already told you my feelings, would you cease with these antics?"

"But I love you why don't you understand?" She cried out to me. I started to grow annoyed at what this girl was saying.

She does not love me.

"He doesn't like girls so could you stop already?" Natsu butted in.

"G-Gray i-is g-g-gay?" She stuttered.

I looked at Natsu giving him the why-did-you-say-that look. He stared right back at me with a bored facial expression.

This was not how I wanted her to find out.

"Yes, I have no interest in girls." I tried my hardest not to look at her teary eyes.

"B-but I l-love you!" She shouted with tears streaming down her red cheeks. Natsu looked as if he was trying to fight the urge to laugh at what she was saying.

"Not trying to ruin the moment," He started.

"But how I see it, you think you love him when you're infatuated." He pointed out.

"N-no I actually love him I have for a long time." She claimed, wiping her tears. I kept staring between the two.

"Name one thing you love about him besides his appearance." He countered bluntly.

"I l-l-love......" She started sobbing again and ran out of the parking lot.

"What a joke," Natsu mumbled under his breath. Something triggered inside me and I grabbed Natsu by the scarf and pinned him to the car facing him. Don't get me wrong I didn't like Juvia in that type of way but seeing her cry was not a nice sight.

"Why did you do that?" I brought him closer to me. He put his head down so I couldn't see his face, a few seconds later he smirked.

"If I didn't then who would? Someone had to tell her what she was believing was a lie. She was blinded by your looks and didn't even like you for you."

He added on, "Yes your attractive, but there is more to you than just your looks. But all she saw was what was on the outside of you and not the inside. If you grew old would she still be like 'I love you' ? If you're going to love someone you have to know their true nature!" He gritted his teeth and my grip on him loosened, I was speechless.

I do care about what others think.

I always have.

Throughout my school years, girls always came out to me saying they loved me. However they only liked me for how I looked and I've always wanted someone who would love me for my true self.

I think I'm falling for him.

All over again?

I have no idea.

It's like I've come to love him before.