Second Life

Chapter 13: Closer

A/N: after way too long...I have an update for you all. I didn't just want to give a half-assed chapter that I gave up on so I kept it back until I found that I had finished it the way I wanted to write it and met my minimum word quota (which is about 2-4k.) So here it is.

(also, please do not write any continuations or etc of my story, I will finish it slowly but surely.)

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Natsu walked through the bustling town, various topics laying heavy on his mind. In a very short time, he'd be exposed. Now, that wasn't as bad as he may have thought it to be in the past few months, but something he hadn't thought about before came to mind: what if Mira thought differently when she found out. Yes, she did modeling often but his music was dark. Very dark in fact and despite what Makoto and the others could say, it's still more morbid than he would've liked.

He ran a hand through his hair as he took a deep breath, trying to pick out the various scents in the air to relax. Oranges and other citrus from a stand he just passed, lavender from an incense stand further ahead, and the overall faint musk from the people he wove between to push on. He didn't know why the though of exposure had bothered him so much though. Did he fear the others leaving him over something so trivial? Perhaps. Perhaps he did for whatever reason his mind had thrown at him.

It was one of his fears, but he didn't need to shove it on them. He didn't need to shove his insecurities on anyone else.

He attempted to clear his head as his muscle memory brought him to where Wendy and Carla lived. Happy had been staying with them the last handful of days and since he just arrived back in town, he needed to get his little buddy.

He knocked on Wendy's door before poking a head in, "Anyone home?"

"Natsu! It was about time you came to pick him up." Carla said with her usual cool and collected tone. "Although Wendy is perfectly happy watching him it is still improper to leave with little forewarning!"

"I know, I know and I'm sorry, though we did finish the missions in less time than we thought." Natsu grinned as Wendy leaned into the room from their small kitchen. "So there's that in my favor at least."

"Ah! Natsu, you're back!" Wendy smiled, "How did the missions go?"

"Smoothly, no going overboard this time." Natsu said, holding a peace sign up with his hand. Wendy mirrored it and beckoned him to come in. "The missions weren't long after all, breezed right through."

"Natsu!" Happy pretty much teleported to him, burying himself into his chest. "Don't leave me next time! I wanted to go too!"

"Sorry bud, I would've waited the extra day for you if Erza would've let me." Natsu replied as he rubbed Happy's head. "Did you have fun on the mission with Wendy and Carla?"

"Aye! We got a lot of fish!" Happy replied excitedly.

"Oh really?" Natsu glanced at Wendy who explained.

"The man who was our client let us stay for dinner." She said, "he was very nice and gave us some extra fish to take home."

"Ooohhh looks to me like you guys hit the jackpot." Natsu grinned. "Thank you again for watching him by the way. "

"It's nothing, really." Wendy smiled, "Carla likes his company too."

"Please child, only speak for yourself." Carla scoffed.