The Rise of The Flame

\\ DEVIOD AVOID //

From across the square of the campus, Natsu could see Lucy. She clutched several colorful textbooks tightly to her ample chest, all in addition to her overly crammed backpack. Lucy had trouble adjusting her sliding glasses as they fell down her nose. The beautiful girl looked as though she was juggling. He chuckled to himself. The girl was always one to be excessively prepared for any potential arising situation.

Just as soon as the euphoniously fond thoughts of the blonde cascaded his mind, they were wiped away with the rag of cold reality. Lucy had told him that despite everything, she wanted to remain friends and take it slow for the time being. News like that pulverized Natsu's heart into particles. Taking their relationship slow was not written in his, or her previous, physical intentions. His emotions were boiled down to utter confusion. There wasn't any real reason he could conjure to suffice why she'd want such a thing.

Nevertheless, Natsu's attitude plummeted from his brain, through his feet and into the dirt below his grubby sneakers. Long gone was the precarious rolling of eyes and crossing of arms. Now, Natsu was just plain heartbroken. Watching the love of his life not interact with him when she easily could have smiled and waved, stung like a bumblebee to raw skin.

The second he returned to his dorm, Gray was smiling. It was out of the norm and looked stupid on his usually serious face. "What the hell snuck into your brain and made you happy?" Natsu inquired rudely.

"For starters, Erza was just here-"

"Bleh! Gray! You know I don't want all the gross details of your under-cover adventures! That's just sick, man." Natsu gagged, looking weak and green all of a sudden. Gray chuckled.

"That's not all, my friend. I scored the three of us an interview with a popular daytime tv show! You're welcome," Gray curtly grinned. The dark haired boy was too smug over such a deal. "Do you think it's a good idea? I don't need everyone and their mother figuring out our identities. Just having Lucy know is enough for this lifetime." He hung his head, mumbling along his petty concerns. Natsu moved to his dresser, wanting to change from his itchy button down to a workout t-shirt.

"Listen, I know things are tough between you two right now, but cheer up. You have the world looking up to you right now! Just last night I saw a kid asking their mom if they could dress as The Flame for Halloween. So what if one person dissed you? There's so much out there for you, Natsu. You just have to be optimistic about it," Gray informed.

Sighing, Natsu knew he was right. But that one person was the one that mattered the most. "I'm going to go blow off steam. I'll see you soon," the pink haired boy said, preparing to exercise the stress away.

"Just be back in time for the interview! It starts at eight. I'll send you the address."

Natsu nodded, also occupied with checking his muscles out in the mirror. He was making a mental note on what to focus his exertion on. Wearily, he spoke, "Say mean words to me right now." Gray only cocked an eyebrow and smirked at his friend before deciding to go along with the odd request. "Your stomach has more rolls than a Thanksgiving dinner table. Your arms are so flabby I could mistake them for skin colored jiggly jello. Have you even seen your thighs? How could you not? They fill up a whole room. Honestly, it looks like someone blew your butt from a bubble wand."

As Gray seeded dramatic words into Natsu's brain, his resolve to push himself grew. His facial features scrunched up in unadulterated concentration. Gray's false words lit a healthy fire under his 'bubble butt'. Smacking a fisted hand to his flat one, Natsu caught his dark haired roommate's stare in the mirror. Silently, he thanked him before fleeing the dorm.

As his noisy feet pounded the pavement, Natsu decided a jog to the abandoned warehouse facility would do him good. The music flowing from his earbuds beat against his mind, fueling his drive forward.

The distance from his dorm to his secret workout spot wasn't too ridiculous. It only took the pink haired boy thirty minutes to arrive. Once he did, Natsu began with the weights, choosing to help out his arms first. Arm curls of all kinds were conducted before the door rowdily opened. Startled, Natsu dropped the heavy dumbbell in his previously steely grasp.

"Relax, soldier. It's just me," Erza spoke, looking as though the makeshift gym was her second home. How in the hell had she known about this? Long gone were the days where this place was his own private solace. "Stop fretting. Gray's taken me here a few times to boost my strength," she stated, about to fire up the old step machine. Natsu nodded, collecting his fallen dumbbell and resuming position.

For the next hour, the two worked themselves thin, drenched in sweat and smelling like garbage cans. "I need to grab a shower before our interview," Natsu said, wiping his face with a clean towel. Erza agreed, "Me too. Not going to lie, I'm a little nervous about it, but I think we'll be just fine."

There was a long, audible pause as the two gathered their items and started their trek back to campus. He assumed Erza had walked there as well, not spotting any other form of transportation outside. When they were halfway between campus and the gym, Natsu shattered the silence. "So, may I ask a stupidly personal question?"

"Shoot."

"You and Gray... who started what and how did they do it?"

While Natsu was a blushing mess from asking something too embarrassing, Erza was surprisingly cooler than a chilled cucumber. "I made the first move on him. We had been making eye contact all night long, and I was fed up. It was mainly the alcohol talking, but I asked him to take me home and screw me over a countertop. He jumped at the chance."

Natsu's eyes bugged out of his head. "You said that to him?!" She shook her head yes. "Why did you want to know?" He crossed his arms. "I just... I had an idea that if I could s-seduce Luce or something, she would want me again. And I know if I go to Gray for advice, he'd give me loads of crap about it, holding it over my head until I was on my death bed," he informed, pouting. Erza breathed, taking in the facts he had nervously sputtered.

"Natsu, I know you care about Lucy, but letting her hormones speak over what her heart wants isn't the way to win her over. I have a better idea. Go upstairs, take a shower, get changed and head over to the station. I'll take care of the rest, okay?" Oddly enough, he obeyed.

〰️〰️〰️〰️

Sitting comfortably on a decently sized sofa, The Flame, Permafrost and Excalibur answered the public's most common questions. Yes, it was an accident that both boys went shirtless before it stuck. Yes, Permafrost and Excalibur were exclusive. No, The Flame does not eat raw fire for lunch.

The session was close to wrapping up when the interviewer asked one last pegging question. "So, Flame, are you romantically involved with anyone?" His head pounded and hands grew extremely slippery and clammy. "You know, I was. She is beautiful, kind, and a million times smarter than I am. Unfortunately, she thought it best to take a break for now. All I know is that I love her and I have a major deficit in my life without her. She's my whole heart, and I can't live without the ol' ticker," he answered, disheveling his hair with his jittery fingers.

The rest of the night was distinctly darker and numb. He was simply a broken-hearted boy with the expectation of greatness. How was such a two timing personality possible?

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December 16, 2017 🛡

Hello friends!! Only two more chapters to go! If you have any predictions, let a girl know with a swaggin comment. Until next time!
-Bubbles