The Drunk List [Gratsu]

eighteen

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Natsu's POV

"There's gotta be another way out..."

"I've been stuck in a cage with my doubt, I've tried forever getting out on my own."

It took a short second to recognize the lyrics, but then the song name almost instantaneously clicked in my mind. On My Own by Ashes Remain.

My hands began to shake as Gray smiled soothingly at me and nudged me to speak the next verse. He knew I knew the song- it was my custom ringtone and Gray heard it when someone called me one day. "Every time I do this my way, I get caught on the lies of the enemy, I lay my weapons down, I'm ready for you now."

Everything else faded away, as cliché as that sounded. Nervousness melted away and I think I actually enjoyed myself as we belted out the lyrics.

"Bring me out, come and find me in the dark now, everyday by myself I'm breaking down, I don't wanna fight alone anymore!" Even though it was a cheesy karaoke bar, I felt passionate while I sang and swayed lightly side by side as Gray and my shoulders brushed against each other's.

"Bring me out, from the prison of my own pride, my God, I need a hope I can't deny, in the end I'm realizing, I was never meant to fight on my own."

Violins serenaded in the background and Gray and I briefly locked eyes. Embarrassed, I shied away before I got lost in the sparkling obsidian irises.

All in all, I found it refreshing. Fun, if you stretched it out a bit. It was nerve-wracking, yeah, but no one we knew was there, and the few people who were didn't care one bit. The rush of morphine-like adrenaline rushing through my bloodstream was still flowing through my mind and body as we finished the song, basking in the pathetic applause of scattered elderly people in the deserted diner.

"Good song choice, thanks for telling me which one we'd do before we went on stage," I said sardonically at Gray as we sat back down at the booth.

"Shut up, you did fine!" Gray waved his hand at me. "Tell him, Loke."

Loke looked nervous, as he was being put on the spot. "Yeah, nice job. I could never do that, even for an audience of three or four people," He paused for a moment, as if he was searching for what to say next. "I bet your meals are almost ready. I'm gonna go check on them, alright? Be right back."

Gray and Loke shared a wave as I played with the fringe on my scarf absentmindedly, a bad habit I got into years ago. Whenever I was nervous or upset or simply bored, I found my pointer finger twirling around the strings and toying with them.

Gray and I sat in silence until I pointed out the obvious. "So, eight more on the list," I commented. "We're three-fifths of the way there."

"Not we," Gray corrected.

"What?" My face scrunched up in confusion.

"Not we," He repeated. "You. It's all you, Natsu. I'm just, as you so kindly put it a few days ago, your tour guide," He grinned cheekily.

"And I said you're more than that," I countered with the same hint of amusement laced in my voice. "Anyway, do you remember what's left?"

"Not particularly, but I have something planned after our brunch that will take care of one of them," Gray said mischievously, scratching the back of his head.

Curious, I asked him, "Which one?"

"It's a surprise~," Gray answered in a song-song tone that irritated me. I bit on the inside of my cheek and chewed at it to stop myself from saying anything else. Luckily, Loke returned with two large plates balanced in his hands, our steaming, right-off-the-griddle breakfasts were made. Gray had a stack of colorful banana and blueberry pancakes, which looked full of life in comparison to my loser omelette.