Ecstasy (NaLu AU)

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Natsu Dragneel heard someone enter the house.

It was Zeref.

Natsu took a good look at him and noticed many things.

He was way skinnier. Looked completely
dazed. His hair was sticking up in many places and he wasn't even walking properly.

He just passed by Natsu like it was nothing and continued his way up the stairs and crashed right into his bed.

Natsu didn't have the heart to say anything to him. So he just picked up the end of zeref's blanket and tucked him in.

He sighed quietly and went back down stairs, dialing Lucy's phone number and telling her to come back.

Once Lucy walked in she looked at Natsu as he was just sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the beige colored wall in front him, not making any movement nor sound.

She took a deep breath, slid off her coat, and sat right next to Natsu.

"Natsu-"

"He knows what it did to our pathetic father. Turned him into the monster he is today." Natsu growled in between his teeth.

"Natsu he's only fourteen." She replied but Natsu just stayed silent. He thought it was pointless to say anything.

She sighed and interlocked her hand with his, feeling like she was protecting him from the whole world. It was extremely cold. Which Lucy found quite weird because Natsu was always warm.

"It's going to be okay... We've all been like this if you think about it." She whispered, finally catching Natsu's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Well,, we all are drawn out by our thoughts and problems. Slowly letting them consume us. It's like our anxiety is a ticking time bomb, waiting every split second it can get to explode. There's 2 paths, there's people who hurt others, and there's people who hurt themselves." She replied solemnly, whispering the last part.

"Which one are you?" Natsu wondered as she just looked down at the ground and smiled.

"Let's go, we need to sleep, we'll discuss everything in the morning." She stood up, Natsu still sitting on the couch.

"Ah no, I'm sleeping on the couch." He exhaled, causing her to curiously wonder why.

"What's wrong with your room?"

"I can't bear that smell. It's disgusting."

"Well, with the couch you'll break you back," She said. " You can sleep with me."

« • »

Zeref Dragneel had woken up with a large headache. A minor consequence for his action.

He knew this already, due to the fact that it had happen many times.

He squinted his eyes open and saw that Natsu had his hand on zeref's forehead.

He felt the panic rush inside of him. He knew he had really fucked up, and he also knew that Natsu knew what has been going on.

He really wanted to apologize. Just to make sure Natsu wasn't mad at him, so he just sat up and fixated his eyes on the bed sheets.

Lucy had walking in and gave him a cup of a faded green liquid substance. "Here, it's tea, it'll help you feel better." She said normally.

He just nodded and took a small sip. Not daring to look at Natsu. He can already read the sadness in his eyes. It would make him feel worse than how he already felt, the guilt was eating him alive.

The tea was a bit strong, causing Zeref to cough. It was spicy.

"Hm, it's a bit stronger than I intended to make it, but like I said it'll help, it hasn't turned into poison. Yet." She said once more. Zeref taking another sip.

"My mother made it for me once. When I was completely drunk at a party." She said, giving Zeref a strong smile with her eyes closed.

A smile that could kill.

"You-You too?" Zeref had the courage to look at her brown eyes.

"Yeah heh. But it was more of a pear pressure for me." She claimed, sitting on the other bed which belonged to Natsu.

She gently scrunched her nose at the havoc memory, reminding Zeref greatly of a rabbit.

Zeref just continued to sip his tea, silence filling the room.

"Zer?"

Zeref still couldn't face Natsu. He couldn't. He didn't want his older brother to look down at him. What was he supposed to say?

Out of now where Natsu wrapped his arms around Zeref, Lucy grabbing the tea before it could spill.

"Hey! You almost spilled the tea I worked hard on!" She whined, mumbling unconscious words while putting it on the near by night stand.

"You're not mad at me?!" Zeref asked, surprised at his brothers actions.

"Why would I be..?"

"Well I drank, like that bastard-"

Natsu grabbed zeref's shoulders and made him turn to directly face Natsu.

"Don't you EVER dare compare yourself to him. I don't even want you to think about it." Natsu replied sternly.

"Okay. I'm sorry." Zeref hugged his brother back.

"I know. I'm sorry too."

"Why?" Zeref curiously asked.

"I didn't know what you were going through. I never noticed."

"It's not your fault."

Natsu exhaled and looked at him once more in eyes. "But tell me," he said calmly "why did you do it?"

Zeref looked away, looking straight at the carpet under his feet.

"It helped me sleep."