Unity

7

Today was Thursday. Honestly, Natsu was very nervous. He had no idea why. It was just a feeling. What would Gray's friend think of him? Would they think Natsu was crazy because of his hair? In all honesty, Natsu didn't know what to think about Gray's friend, so this was going to be interesting. Natsu could've met this guy before, or maybe they might've crossed paths once. The rosette was just nervous.

Natsu was starving. He was snacking on anything in plain sight in the kitchen. He always got hungry when he was nervous, and Zeref would always say it was a bad habit of his.

'Zeref . . .'

Natsu hasn't spoke to his older brother since last Thursday, when Erza, Jellal, him, and Wendy were wrapping bandages on Gray. But Natsu was still mad at him. He had to get over the murderer idea. Zeref was twenty-six, and it was getting on Natsu's nerves. But he hadn't came out of his room in three days. He took everyday off work this week because he wasn't "feeling well." Natsu thinks he hasn't been eating anything either.

The rosette scratched his head and opened the refrigerator. He felt the need to get his brother some food. Maybe a sandwich? Natsu finally went to the store the other day to get lunch meat and cheese. Natsu checked the pantry to see if they had any potato chips left. The rosette was binge watching shows on Netflix at midnight, snacking on a couple bags and didn't remember on whether or not he left any for anyone else.

Sadly, there wasn't a single bag of chips in the pantry.

Natsu found Zeref's second favorite thing in the fridge. A jar of pickles. Natsu had originally bought it for himself when he went to the store, since he was in the mood for something dill. He didn't open it though because he grabbed sweet pickles instead, Zeref's favorite kind.

Natsu took a fork and pulled a pickle out of the jar, placing it on the plate next to Zeref's sandwich. The rosette then grabbed the plate and carefully walked up the stairs. He tried his best to make sure the pickle didn't roll off the plate. When Natsu reached Zeref's room, he knocked on his door. When he heard the sound of movement, he decided to go inside.

The door creaked when Natsu opened it. The curtain was wide open, allowing sunlight into his usually dark room. Natsu walked along his brother's wooden floor, placing the plate of food on his night stand. Zeref was laying in bed with the blanket pulled over his head. It shocked Natsu because Zeref was always up at ridiculous hours, waking Natsu up as soon as the sun rose before he left. These past few days have been miserable for him.

"Zeref?" Natsu called quietly, cocking his head to the side when Zeref pulled the covers down to his chin. His eyes were red and his cheeks were puffy, but he wore a soft, innocent smile.

"Hello Natsu. How was your week?"

Natsu rolled his eyes and sat at the edge of Zeref's bed, fumbling with his fingers as Zeref kept his eyes on his brother. Natsu motioned to the food on the nightstand, which Zeref gratefully accepted.

The black haired male took a bite of his sandwich and looked at Natsu, who was looking down at the floor. This was awkward for him, Zeref understood.

"Hey Natsu?"

The rosette hummed in response.

"Am I a bad brother?" Natsu's posture seemed to have straightened at his brother's question. No! Zeref wasn't a bad brother. He had took care of Natsu ever since Igneel died when he was eleven. He taught Natsu things Igneel couldn't, like math, science, how to cook his food correctly, and how to read difficult words. Without Zeref, Natsu thinks he would be behind in practically everything.

"No, you're not. It's just that . . . you're very overprotective. Like, how you assume Gray is a murderer," Natsu mumbled that last part. Zeref shook his head and looked down at his sandwich that was already half eaten. "To be honest, I think you're a great brother."