The Red Dragon

Chapter 25

I try to make it through my life, in my way, there's you
I try to make it through these lies, and that's all I do
Just don't deny it
Don't try to fight this, and deal with it

And that's just part of it
If you were dead or still alive

I don't care, I don't care
Just go and leave this all behind
'Cause I swear (I swear) I don't care

I Don't Care by Apocalyptica

Chapter 25

Natsu landed on their field, feeling the wetness of the morning dew on his talons. He flexed his injured wing, wincing slightly at the remaining tenderness. He'd refused to let Atlas heal it completely, not wanting to lose the stitches that Gray had put in. His uncle had yelled at him for it, insisting one of these days his misplaced sense of romance was going to get him killed, but Natsu didn't care. Every time he looked at those stitches, they filled him with hope. They felt like a hard-earned victory.

It didn't matter to him that Gray didn't know it was him he was stitching up. Natsu had almost given himself away several times, the situation as disliked as it was familiar. It had reminded him of the life he'd left behind. Of jobs taken together, and of Gray's fierce yells demanding Natsu be more careful as he tried to patch him back together. This had been even truer once his regeneration had slowed down.

The important thing, and it was something Natsu carried in his heart, was that Gray had helped a dragon. Not because the dragon had asked, but because he'd wanted to. Because he'd felt it was the right thing to do.

Natsu knew he shouldn't get his hopes up yet. He wasn't particularly sure that Gray even liked Fukou that much, although there had been a few moments in their strange relationship where he'd thought maybe he had gotten through.

He looked up at the sky impatiently, urging the sun to come up already. Neither Igneel nor Atlas had been much help when he'd asked them about how he might have managed his temporary transformation the previous year. The one theory they'd had was that it was somehow related to the summer solstice, a day marked by a higher concentration of ethernano in the air. That he had reverted to his dragon form at the end of it certainly seemed to lend credence to that idea.

He paced the length of the field several times, needing to do something while he waited for the sun to begin its rise. He worried last year had been a fluke, but he was just as terrified that it wasn't. Regardless of what happened, he would have to make some decisions today. His time was running out, he could sense it.

Natsu had felt a staggering change in their bond on his flight back from Drak Aast, and it had terrified him because he didn't understand what it meant. It was what had kept him so distracted. The fear and dread that Gray might have finally had enough of him and his excuses had stolen his breath, much like a punch to the gut. Even though he knew he deserved it.

He'd been so focused on trying to interpret Gray's feelings that he hadn't bothered to pay any attention to where he was flying. A careless mistake he had paid for dearly.

Natsu stopped in his tracks as he felt something, a sensation so small it would have been easy to dismiss had he not been looking for something like it. It tingled and spread throughout his body, covering him in a golden glow before slowly transforming him.

He bounced on his heels, delighted to be back in his human form, but frowning at his arm, which bore the telltale marks of stitches. He hadn't thought to bring any gauze, but that was the least of his worries.