Gratsu Week 2018

Secrets

Natsu was an open book. You couldn't be around him for more than ten minutes without knowing his life story and everything about him, but in reality, he was only making himself appear that way.

He had only a handful of secrets, and all but one were too valuable to lose. Many of his secrets were secrets of the dragons themselves, entrusted to him by Igneel and protected by his silence. The other was a more personal secret.

Natsu Dragneel was short. While this was usually something that could be seen just by looking at someone, it was something he made sure went overlooked.

He made himself loud and brash, so his attitude would distract others from how far they had to look down to see him. Anytime he wasn't doing that he was sitting down, or leaning over something.

He found ways to make the soles of his shoes as tall as possible, and anytime he knew they wouldn't be noticed, he took to wearing actual heels.

Natsu Dragneel was short, and he couldn't hate it more.

Except for when he didn't.

There were very few things that Natsu didn't hate about being short, and all of them went unnoticed until a single night at the guild caused both his and several other's secrets to be revealed.

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Cana had a habit of starting games that included half the guild or more, and they always ended in one of three ways.

Everyone ending up drunk or high was a common occurrence, and only Cana herself ever remembered what happened on those nights.

Everyone could end up brawling over who the winner was, which was the second most common outcome. Anytime they played board games or card games it seemed to dissolve into this.

Or there was little to no alcohol drunk because of the style of the game, and everyone ended up remembering the horribly embarrassing things they had to say or do.

Unfortunately, no one could tell her no on her birthday.

"With this game, it's going to be the third one, isn't it?" Natsu sat around a table with the rest of his guild mates that were closer in age, and he stared in horror at what was in front of him.

"So I know you all see the empty booze bottle in front of you, but that's not what we're doing," Cana called out from the end of the table, "I'm bored, so we're smashing never have I ever and truth or dare together. Spin the bottle to find out who you're asking or call out a never have I ever to the whole table, then spin to see whose turn it is next. If you want to back out of a T or D, you take a shot, and if you've done the never have I ever, you take a shot." She gestured to the massive amount of alcohol behind her, and with even more fear than he thought possible, he noticed Gajeel's present on that table. "Simple enough, yeah?"

He made eye contact with the iron dragon slayer, who looked just as afraid. "I hate that you bought that for her."

"I hate that I bought that for her," he mumbled back.

"So this Everclear shit actually can get you slayers drunk," Cana burst out laughing at their predicament, and Gajeel was quick to correct her.

"It will get me drunk, Natsu tipsy at best, and neither one of us is going to touch it unless it's mixed." He didn't have to say much else. Everyone knew they were stubborn enough to keep that statement true.

"Well shit," Cana let out a frustrated sigh as she moved the bottle of Everclear back to her gift table. "That was pointless then."

"Maybe it is right now, but it may not be later."