#finished chapter

Natsu Dragneel felt cold. That was the problem with the temperature during the winter time; it was decent and bearable during the day, but as soon as evening hit, it became far too cold to be comfortable. Of course Gray could handle these kinds of freezing winds due to his training, but even with his muffler wrapped tightly around his neck, Natsu felt the extreme chill spreading through his veins, making him shudder.

He could be using his fire, yes. But since it was so distinct, he was sure someone in the area would recognize it as Fire Dragon Slayer magic and have him reported, which would lead to him just ending up in a bad place and drastically decreasing his chance of finding Gray.  

“Jeez Gray, where’d you run off to?” he quietly mumbled to himself, rubbing his hands together in a futile attempt to warm them up. He should’ve at least grabbed a jacket, but he couldn’t waste even a second to think about anything else after seeing his boyfriend run off into the middle of the night with a such a dreadful look on his face.

That’s right, boyfriend. Another thing he had to hide due to it being forbidden. Romantic relationships in general were not allowed among students, let alone ones between those of the same gender. Natsu hated this unfair society he was born into. Not being able to show off certain aspects of himself, especially ones that he was so proud of, frustrated him to no end. If he had things his way, he’d beat the hell out of the person responsible for creating such absurd rules that strips people of their own self and forces them to pretend those aspects don’t exist or think they are unacceptable.

For the longest time, Natsu dreamt of leaving this wretched place once he graduated. He’d move to another city, or country even, if it meant he could show off his Dragon Slayer magic and be able to hug Gray or even hold his hand in public without fearing the trouble he’d get into. The worst part about all of this was that this issue wasn’t even something he could fight against. Natsu was strong and hopeful, but that wasn’t enough to avoid the punishment he’d get if he dared to break the rules. Unless Natsu could bring absolute change to this corrupt society of his, mindlessly rebelling was not the right answer, although it did cross his mind several times. Heck, if it weren’t for Gray, he’d probably have a Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist right in society’s stupid leaders’ faces.

Releasing a cold breath into the air, Natsu picked up his pace a little, using his nose to track down Gray’s scent. He couldn’t have gone too far; after all, there weren’t many places to go at this time of night without causing suspicion. Natsu tried hard to think of places Gray liked, believing he might’ve gone there if it helped to comfort him a little.

His eyes darted across the various storefronts spread out around the town. A lot of them weren’t even open at this hour, and those that were open were just bars that Natsu knew Gray wouldn’t go to even if he was feeling emotionally wrecked. There weren’t a lot of options, but even with the limited area to search, there was still no sign of Gray. Natsu’s heartbeat picked up subconsciously, a flash of stressed heat giving him a moment of warmth. His eyebrows scrunched together as he scanned the area one more time, but despite his efforts, his ice wizard was no where to be found.

_____________

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Rogue asked after a far too long moment of distressing silence. “Should we…go after them?”

The only response Sting gave him was a shake of his head as he firmly grasped one hand in the other, pressing it to his forehead. Rogue looked at him with eyes full of worry, wanting to go up to him and assure him everything would be okay, but he wasn’t the type to be able to do that comfortably or in a non-awkward manner. So, he stayed put, biting his bottom lip as he tried to think of how he could help. He felt useless sitting there doing nothing and was sure Sting felt the same way, but knew he was keeping himself from going because of what Natsu had said before he left.

“Rogue…I’m sorry for all this,” Sting said finally, his voice coming out in a shaky manner. “I…I don’t…”

“It’s okay,” Rogue told him, surprised that he didn’t stutter when he said that. “This isn’t anything you have to apologize for…”

“I guess…but I feel so bad, to get you mixed up into all this, and now the project will be delayed…! You seem like, and probably are, the diligent type who always gets their work done early and, well, I just feel awful for putting you through this and—“

“Sting, please don’t say things like that,” Rogue interrupted, surprising himself yet again. “You don’t have to worry about me. Let’s just pray for their safe return…okay?”

Sting looked up at him in that moment, and Rogue felt himself panic. He shouldn’t have interrupted him like that; that was very rude and Sting probably thought he was being insensitive. He prepared a string of apologies when suddenly, his own eyes locked with Sting’s. Rogue felt trapped in his gaze, unable to formulate any words as all thoughts slipped away from his mind. His heart rate picked up for what Rogue thought was due to some weird anxious feeling, but before he could think too much into it, he felt his body move on its own and found himself standing right in front of Sting a few seconds later. Their bodies were only a few centimeters apart, and Rogue struggled to find an explanation for why he suddenly got up and got this close to Sting. His ears burned and he felt like acid had filled throat, but all of those feelings disappeared as quickly as they had come when Sting gave him the most gentle look he’d ever seen.

“Rogue…” he said softly, his eyes almost pleading for something.

“S-sting…I—“ Rogue’s thoughts were all jumbled together and his heart was still beating like crazy, so forming any sort of coherent sentences was far from likely at this point.

Rogue squeezed his eyes shut and felt his body falling forward, and before his mind could process what he’d been doing, a pair of warm arms wrapped around him and pulled him close, embracing him in a tight hug.

“I’m really glad you’re here with me,” Sting whispered. Rogue could feel his warm breath tickle his ears, and his stomach flipped like an acrobat at a circus. A flush of an inexplicable feeling coursed throughout his entire body as he shakily held onto Sting, trying hard not to get too emotional. He felt tears burn in his eyes at the reality of the situation he was in: getting hugged by someone was a dream of his, and he couldn’t believe that he had the guts to make the first move, even if it was by a subconscious impulse.

When Rogue didn’t say anything, Sting slowly let go of him, and Rogue’s body already missed the warmth.

“I think I would’ve lost my mind if I was here alone,” Sting told him, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. “I probably would’ve gone after Natsu but I don’t want him to be mad or more stressed out.”

“How about this? If they don’t come back in the next half hour, we’ll go look for them,” Rogue offered. Even though he’d only started talking to Natsu and Gray less than five days ago, he was already very attached to them and cared for them like they were his family. Perhaps it wasn’t the best habit to get attached to people too quickly, but with the lack of interaction Rogue had with others, he was bound to fall into that practice.

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Sting, his nerves easing up a little. “What do you want to do in the meantime?”

Rogue didn’t have a clue, if he was being honest. He didn’t even think about that, but he couldn’t leave Sting hanging. He rummaged through his thoughts for an idea, and after realizing he was taking a little too long, he blurt out, “L-let’s make chocolate-covered pretzels!”

Rogue’s face reddened, and he snuck a glance at Sting, hoping what he suggested wasn’t too crazy to the point where it weirded him out. However, the sparkle in Sting’s eyes convinced him otherwise, and he looked almost as excited as Rogue to make them, much to Rogue’s content.

“Alright then, Rogue! Let’s grab the chocolate and pretzels and get crackin’!”

_________

It was getting colder, darker, scarier. The only thing keeping Natsu going was his strong inclination to find Gray. He swore he wouldn’t give up until he found him, and he intended to keep his word. He had already gone way past the normal boundaries of the town and ended up in another section of it that not many people visited. He couldn’t find a reason why Gray would be here, in this creepy, desolate place, but he figured he’d check it out just in case since he wasn’t anywhere in the main part of town.

“Gray!” he called out, cupping his chilled fingers around his mouth. “Gray, where are y—”

Before he could finish his sentence, his nose picked up a familiar scent, and he felt relief wash over him. It was Gray’s! Although very faint, he was able to pick it up regardless and lock onto it. With a fluttering hope in his heart he followed his senses and plunged into the darkness of the night, eager to finally be able to see Gray and bring him home.

He took countless turns in the labyrinth-like streets, and the coldness he felt didn’t seem to bother him any more. Gray’s scent was getting stronger, and that enough was to warm Natsu up a little. He continued to push through the alleyways, nearly tripping on a cobblestone gone loose, when finally, he found what he’d been looking for. His treasure at the end of the rainbow.

“Gray…!” Natsu huffed out, wrapping his muffler over his chapped lips to retain the little warmth he had left. “Th-there you are!”

Gray spun around at the sound of his name being called, his eyes wide and filled with…tears? It was hard to tell in the darkness, plus it was so cold that any water that did come out of his eyes was likely to freeze.

“Jeez, what are you doing all the way out here?” Natsu asked casually, deciding to not question the crying. He figured Gray wouldn’t want to talk about it anyway, and it wasn’t the right environment for them to have an in-depth conversation about those matters. He stepped closer, being careful not to get his feet caught in the thick vines that covered the ground. “What is this place?”

“N-Natsu? I—how the hell did you find me?” Gray wondered out loud, still stunned.

“Dragon Slayer senses, baby,” Natsu said with a grin, or at least he tried to grin, but given the temperature it came out looking more like a wobbly half-smile.

Gray ignored his playfulness and shook his head. “Aren’t you cold? Why did you follow me?” He took a couple steps forward, wiping at his eyes. Once he reached Natsu he pulled him into a hug, trying to supply some warmth.

“I was worried about you, you idiot,” Natsu muttered into Gray’s chest, snuggling up to him.

“You’re the one who’s an idiot for coming all the way out here without even wearing a jacket,” Gray chastised him. He felt a warmth envelop his cheeks as he squeezed Natsu, burying his face into his pink hair.

“Says you,” Natsu shot back with a soft chuckle, noting Gray’s bare upper body. “You perverted stripper.”

“Hey, at least I can handle these temperatures.”

“Whatever! You shouldn’t have run off if you didn’t want me to chase you!”

“I didn’t ask or want you to chase me, dumbass.”

“I would’ve done it regardless, ‘cuz I love you.”

It was then that a silence fell upon them, and Gray slowly pushed Natsu away so he could look into his eyes. “Man, I’ve missed hearing that.”

Natsu managed a smile, his body still shivering. “I’d kiss you, but I think my lips froze.”

Gray laughed at that, cupping Natsu’s face with his hand. “You’re really something, Natsu.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Natsu asked, offended.

“Figure it out yourself, Flame Brain,” Gray said before turning away.

Natsu blinked and watched as Gray laid his eyes on a marked stone. It didn’t take him long to realize it was a gravestone. He moved to stand next to Gray and took his hand in his, squeezing it tightly. “Gray…is this…”

“It’s my father’s. He was buried here,” Gray said softly. A puff of cold air escaped his lips as tears threatened to spill from his eyes again.

“Oh…” Natsu now understood why Gray chose this strange location to wander off to. With a determined look in his eyes, he let go of Gray’s hand and grabbed him by the shoulders, looking directly at him. “We’re gonna ace this project and find out things that will help you feel better and let you ease up a bit. We’ll find the truth, no matter what!”

At that, Gray smiled. He leaned down and softly pressed his lips against Natsu’s for a quick second before backing away. “Hah, wow, you weren’t kidding when you said your lips were frozen. It felt like I was kissing a block of ice.”

“Shut it!” Natsu screeched, embarrassed. His face was flushed to a color that rivaled his hair. “You didn’t have to kiss me!”

“Oh, but I wanted to,” Gray said with a laugh, and then added, “‘Cuz I love you.”

Natsu felt his stomach do flips as he gripped Gray’s neck and pulled him close for another kiss, only to be stopped by Gray.

“Gah, Gray, what gives?” he huffed out, eyes swirling with a lustful-like hunger.

“As much as I’d love to kiss you, we have to get back inside and get you warmed up before you freeze.”

“But Graaaaaaaaaaay!” Natsu whined, pouting.

“Wait ‘till we get home! Come on, it’s not that far and Sting and Rogue must be worried.”

“Holy crap, I nearly forgot about them!” Natsu exclaimed.

Gray simply shook his head and grabbed Natsu’s hand, leading him along the rest of the path before they got to the main part of town. He couldn’t hold Natsu’s hand when they reached that part, so he made these few moments he had last.

The two made their way back home, awaiting warmth and the relieved faces of their friends.

_______________

“They have five minutes. Five,” Sting said, popping a chocolate pretzel into his mouth.

“I’m sure they’ll be back any second,” Rogue assured him, taking one of the treats for himself. He was practically drooling over the chocolate pretzels he and Sting had made. He was so focused on them that he nearly forgot about Gray and Natsu being gone until Sting reminded him and instantly felt guilt overtake him.

“I hope you’re right.” Sting sighed as he slid off the counter he was sitting on, stray pretzel crumbs falling off his pants once he landed on the floor. “Let’s go get them some blankets, I’m sure they’ll be cold once they turn up.”

Rogue nodded, lifting the spoon out of the last of the four hot chocolate mugs he and Sting had prepared in addition to the pretzels. Rogue really was in a chocolate paradise and he couldn’t wait to take a sip of the steamy chocolate goodness once the others had returned.

Once the spoon was properly washed and placed in the drying rack, Rogue followed Sting to a closet that had spare sheets and helped him carry out two big comforters and four small blankets. They walked over to the living room and placed them on the couch, with one blanket on each cushion. Sting went to go set up the fireplace while Rogue made his way back into the kitchen and took another chocolate pretzel, savoring the taste.

“You’re such a chocoholic, it’s adorable,” Sting said from behind Rogue, startling him. He nearly choked on the pretzel he was chewing but quickly washed it down with a glass of water.

“I-I’m sorry! I should probably save some for Gray and Natsu…!”

“You eat as many as you want. There are another snacks for them if they’re hungry,” Sting told him as he bit into another pretzel himself. “This was such a great idea, these things taste heavenly!”

Rogue smiled, and he touched his face, noticing that it was burning up. Unknowingly he had streaked some chocolate across his cheeks in his little flurry of embarrassment, so when he turned to face Sting, he was confused when Sting started laughing at him.

“Rogue, wait there, I need to take a picture!” Sting said suddenly, causing Rogue to panic.

“Wh-what? Why? Did I do something?” he yelped, watching as Sting ran across the room to grab his cellphone.

Before answering, Sting snapped a few shots of Rogue with a huge smile on his face while Rogue just stood there, eyes darting everywhere in mild panic and confusion.

“It’s nothing bad, I swear!” Sting managed to say through his wide smile. “It’s just… you’ve got chocolate all over your face and you look so cute!”

“C-cute?” Rogue spluttered, his face burning more than before.

“Hah, yeah! Here, let me get that for you,” he said, stepping closer to Rogue. Rogue didn’t process what he was talking about until Sting reached up and touched Rogue’s face with his hand, wiping off the chocolate stains ever so gently.

Rogue felt his heart stop, and all he could do was stand still as Sting wiped the rest of the marks off his face with care and precision. Only in that moment did Rogue pause and take in the person in front of him, admiring all his features, from his fluffy, pale blond hair to his bright, blue eyes. His skin looked super soft, and his smile lit up the rest of his face, and Rogue had to fight down a smile of his own.

“I’m sure that chocolate loves you as much as you love it.”

Rogue released a nervous yet genuine laugh before he squeaked out a small “Thank you.”

Sting nodded, and the two of them brought the mugs of hot chocolate over to the coffee table. As if on cue, the door burst open as soon as they set the mugs down, revealing Natsu and Gray accompanied by a cool burst of wind.

“We’re home!” Natsu announced with pride, pumping a fist into the air. “Ooh, the house smells like chocolate!”

“Sorry we took so long…” Gray apologized, hanging his head in shame.

“Natsu! Gray!” Sting cried out, happy tears spilling from his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re both okay!” He leapt forward and hugged them both, but then immediately receded when he felt how cold they were. “Gosh, you’re both freezing! Feels like I’m hugging a freakin’ refrigerator or something!”

Rogue watched from the corner, feeling as if he was intruding on a sentimental family moment or something. Although Natsu, Gray, and Sting had made him feel more than welcome, he felt that during some moments he couldn’t outmatch the long-lasting family bond the three of them shared.

“Check it out Sting, I got icicles in my hair!” Natsu pointed out. He shook his hair like a wet dog after a bath, and shards of ice fell onto the floor beneath him.

“I’m surprised you haven’t turned blue. Seriously, you both should go get changed. Rogue and I prepared blankets and hot chocolate for you guys,” Sting told them, pulling the two inside and shutting the door. “Oh and Natsu, can you light the fireplace?”

“Sure thing!” Natsu sucked in a breath of air, and with one swift exhale, the fireplace was lit with his fire magic. “There! Now excuse us, we’ll be right back!”

With that said, Natsu grabbed Gray’s hand and pulled him into their room, locking the door behind them.

“Energetic as always, even while nearly frozen,” Sting said with a shake of his head. “You were right, Rogue, they really did turn up and I’m so relieved.” He turned to face Rogue, who was surprised that he wasn’t forgotten.

All Rogue did in response was nod. He continued to stand where he was in an awkward manner until Sting grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the couch.

“Sorry if I’m…in the way,” Rogue said once he and Sting had sat down next to each other. “I should probably go home soon, I didn’t mean to intrude for so long.”

“Rogue. You aren’t intruding, and you are more than welcome to stay the night if you’re comfortable enough. You’re one of us now, okay? Don’t feel like an outcast!” Sting told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “If you do go home, just know that I’m walking you back.”

Rogue was at a loss of words for a full minute, and all he could do was blink at Sting’s words, as if believing them was something that wasn’t even possible. What snapped him out of his daze was Sting’s last sentence, and he shook his head, reeling back to reality. “Wait, no, it’s super cold! You don’t have to do that!”

“Well I’m not letting you leave in the middle of the night alone!” Sting argued, a small pout forming on his face. Rogue found this to be undeniably adorable. “So that means there’s only one solution.”

“And…wh-what would that be?” Rogue asked, almost timidly.

“You have to stay the night!” Sting stated, throwing a blanket over Rogue’s head.

“Um! Are you sure you’d be okay with that? I mean, there’s only—“

“If you’re talking about the bed, I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

“What? No! I can’t make you sleep on the floor in your own room…!” “Relax! You’re not making me do anything, I love sleeping on the floor, actually. It’s fine, really.”

“I could never do that to you!”

“I’m serious, Rogue! Please stay, okay?”

Before the two of them could discuss the matter further, Natsu and Gray came out of their room dressed in new sweatpants and giant, plush sweaters.

“Wow. You two look like fashion disasters,” Sting mentioned, looking at their odd combo of clothes.

“Whatever, we’re warm and that’s all that matters!” Natsu retorted, sticking his tongue out. He plopped onto the couch and pulled Gray down with him, who sat close to him with a splash of red coloring his cheeks.

“So…hot chocolate?” Sting offered, handing each of them a mug. Gray and Natsu eagerly took one and started sipping, relishing in the warmth. Rogue took his carefully, sniffing it before taking the first sip.

“Rogue, you’ve been really quiet since we got back, is everything okay?” Gray asked after finishing half of his mug’s contents.

“Oh!” Rogue replied, nearly burning his tongue. “Yes… I’m okay, sorry. I’m not the best at having conversations…”

Gray smiled at him with a sympathetic nod. “Wanna stay the night?”

“I already asked him and he said yes!” Sting answered for him with a grin.

“Wait! I didn’t agree just yet, and I was going to ask Natsu and Gray if they’d be okay with it first!”

“Hell yeah it’s okay! I’d rather have you stay here than go out there in the cold at this hour,” Natsu said, dripping the last of the hot chocolate into his mouth. “You’re good company to have, especially for Sting.”

“This all means a lot to me, really…thank you all,” Rogue said with a smile, setting his mug down.

“Of course,” Sting said, leaning back on the couch and snuggling up into a blanket. “Also, is it just me, or is anyone else not tired at all?”

“I feel the same!” Natsu commented.

“You’re never tired, so that doesn’t count,” Gray said with a roll of his eyes. “But I agree. I have no motivation to go sleep, even if it is this late.”

“I think I could stay up for a while,” Rogue added in, looking at the others.

“Let’s work on the project, then,” Gray stated, much to everyone’s surprise.

“What? Are you sure? After what just—“ Sting started, but was cut off by Gray.

“It’s fine, I’m fine. We were supposed to work on it anyway and didn’t really make much progress. Let’s not mess up our schedule so early, we only have three days left to work on this thing.”

“I say we pull an all-nighter and finish the whole thing today!” Natsu suggested, standing up. He walked over to the kitchen table and grabbed the book before placing it in the middle of all of them, and then turned to grab his laptop.

“Um…that’s a bit…” Sting couldn’t find the words he wanted to say.

“I’m down for that idea. Come on Sting, let’s finish this, here and now.”

Sting shot a worried glance towards Rogue, who looked equally concerned. The two decided to not question them further and agreed to their terms, grabbing their backpacks.

“Should we work separately or all work together and help each other?” Rogue asked, nervously fiddling with the zipper on his backpack once he’d pulled his laptop out. “It seems that both the subjects we chose will be interesting…”

“Working together is a good idea. I think we’ll get done faster too. The teachers won’t even know or care as long as we did the work and didn’t make our papers sound too similar,” Natsu added in agreement.

“Then is it okay if we start with this one?” Gray questioned, opening the book to the section about Silver Fullbuster.

“Sure…” Sting said, almost as if he was in a daze.

“Sting, start taking notes. I’m going to read this out loud.”

“Woah, Gray, lighten up a little,” Natsu said, poking his cheek. “You’re scary when you’re serious.”

A flash of irritation shone in Gray’s eyes, but only Rogue seemed to notice. His eyes softened when Natsu held onto his shoulder, and he shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “Sorry. Um, Sting, can you take notes while I read this?”

“Yeah, of course man,” Sting said, opening the document on his laptop.

Rogue sat there quietly, intrigued of what they’d learn. He hoped Gray could handle it. The moment from a few hours ago flashed in his mind; the expression on Gray’s face, how the color practically drained from his face, the way he ran out with so much distress just at the mention of the demon’s name. He truly was worried, but trusted Gray and knew that he was strong enough to withstand whatever they were about to discover.

And so, with the fireplace being the only source of light aside from the dimly lit shine coming from their laptops, Gray began reading about one of the Nine Demons known as Silver Fullbuster.

___________________

“Silver Fullbuster was resurrected by Keyes, and served as a test subject for his experiments,” Gray read, his eyes straining. He’d gone through a not-so-helpful introduction to Silver, but only now did things start peaking his interest.

Natsu, Sting, and Rogue all were crowded around Gray, unable to stop listening. The book and its information had their full attention, so much to the point where even Sting had to remind himself that Gray put him in charge of taking notes and he couldn’t just slack off.

“Not much is known about Silver’s past. The only thing we have on record is that he was supposedly killed when a demon known as Deliora attacked his village.” Gray stopped for a moment, pushing his lips together as unwanted memories filled his head.

“Gray, we can stop anytime, you don’t have to push yourself,” Sting said, clutching the top of his laptop with shaky fingers. “Please, you don’t have to do this for us, think about yourself.”

“I’m okay, Sting,” Gray assured, releasing a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in. “This is just stuff I have to face. The more I know, the closer I can get to the truth.” He turned towards Natsu, remembering the promise he’d made.

“I’m proud of you, Gray…but I agree with Sting. You can stop anytime.”

Gray shook his head. “How much do we have, Sting?”

“Huh?” Sting blinked, his thoughts all jumbled.

“The notes. How many pages?”

“Oh! Uh, with the basic intro, personality and appearance, we have about two full pages of bullet points.”

“Perfect. That should be enough.”

“Wait, you don’t want to research this further?” Natsu asked him, his eyes wide.

“I do. But that’s enough for the paper. I don’t want to turn in any more than I need to, and this book isn’t much of a help. I think I have to find this information on my own.”

Nobody said anything after that, so Gray decided to read one last part of the book before closing it. “For seventeen years, after the successful experimentation, Silver ‘lived’ a normal life. However, he decided to get revenge on the Demons that stole his family from him. He learned Devil Slayer magic and killed any Demons he came across.”

Gray inhaled a long breath, setting the book down. “That’s enough for me. Let’s do Rogue and Natsu’s next.”

Rogue sat still, watching Gray carefully as he exhaled. He was shocked at how calmly Gray handled reading all of that, given his reaction from before. His strength really was something admirable, something Rogue wished he possessed. Rogue could tell Gray was holding back some of his emotions, but he didn’t want to press on about it. He’d already been through a lot for one night.

Rogue stared at the time on his screen. 4:46 a.m., it read. They’d have to leave for school in about three hours without even a wink of sleep. He looked up and saw everyone’s expressions, which contained a mix of strain and exhaustion. They didn’t look tired enough to sleep, but clearly they had overestimated their ability to do work for such a long period of time. Doing research papers of all things at such a late hour was bound to drain their energy eventually.

“Are you sure you want to do all of this tonight?” asked Rogue, noticing that nobody else provided a response to Gray’s earlier statement. “We can take a break or something…”

“Nah, let’s finish… we already made the commitment and we can’t go back on it,” Natsu said in response, stretching his arms above his head.

Gray let out a yawn and leaned against Natsu’s shoulder, handing him the book. “All you, Flame Brain.”

Natsu took the book and turned it to the back, revealing the hidden flap. “E.N.D.,” he said excitedly, the exhaustion from earlier almost completely disappearing from him. “The coolest demon ever!”

“You don’t even know anything yet, moron,” Gray said tiredly, reaching up to ruffle Natsu’s hair.

“Well we’re about to find out, and I can already tell it’ll be good!”

“I’ll take notes,” Rogue offered, already having his page set up.

“Great! Okay everyone, listen up, cuz this is probably the best and coolest story you’ll hear!” Natsu said with too much energy for someone who was awake at 5 a.m. without any sleep.

“Just get on with it,” Sting said as he blinked away the sleep from his eyes. He had a hard time keeping his composure, and he wobbled a bit before landing on something soft.

“Sting…?” Rogue calmly said, blinking. His cheeks felt warmer as he felt Sting’s head fall on his shoulder.

“Ah…sorry Rogue…’m tired…” He yawned, snuggling up to Rogue more as if he’d done it a thousand times.

“Pay attention!” Natsu shouted, distracting Rogue from his thoughts. “I’m about to start.”

“Go ahead…” Rogue said softly, placing his fingers on the keyboard. He had to admit that the feeling of Sting leaning on him gave him a vast amount of comfort, and he had to try to not smile like an idiot at the gesture.

“E.N.D. is known as Zeref’s most powerful demon. Nobody knows what the letters stand for, but what we do know is that E.N.D. used to be human. Four hundred years ago, the child had died but Zeref couldn’t handle the grief so he resurrected him in hopes that E.N.D. would be the one to finally kill him. Why would Zeref care, you ask? It’s because the child was his younger brother.”

“Zeref has a younger brother?” Gray said, his ears perking up. “Damn…I had no idea.”

“Keep going,” Sting said, sounding less tired than before. “This really is interesting.”

Natsu nodded, flipping the page. “E.N.D. is very ruthless and cunning to the point of having a deadly bloodlust. He was so scary that even Acnologia was frightened by him. There are links to his past but th ha n be d v e re y.”

“What the hell was that at the end? Too tired to speak properly or something?” said Gray, lifting his head off Natsu’s shoulder.

“The words!” Natsu shrieked. “The rest is faded!”

“Seriously?” Sting also got up, reaching for the book. He turned through the pages, and sure enough, the rest of the text was too faded to be legible.

“How many notes do we have, Rogue?”

“About…a page and a half…” he answered, scrolling through what he’d typed.

“Well…there’s still the section on his appearance that you haven’t got to. Maybe use that to fill in the extra half page?” Gray suggested.

“But I wanna know more! The appearance doesn’t really interest me that much, I just wanted to know his story! This is so unfair!” Natsu complained, threading his fingers through his hair.

“We can’t help what we don’t know,” Gray told him with a sigh. “Maybe after finishing the paper we can each go out and learn more about these demons we’re researching, since we clearly want to know more than the book has to offer.”

“Where would you even get such information?” Sting asked, scratching his head. “As far as I know, this is the only book that contains information about those demons.”

“Easy. We go directly to the source,” said Gray, talking about it as if it was like picking up groceries.

“You mean…Zeref?” Rogue was almost scared to say it, but curiosity got the better of him.

When Gray nodded, Rogue felt an uneasy dread fill the pit of his stomach. Find Zeref? Talk to him? Was that even possible? Nobody knew his whereabouts for the longest time. For all they knew, he probably wasn’t even in this country.

“Nothing about that is easy. Don’t let your tiredness speak for you,” Sting said then, being the voice of reason. “As if Zeref would give out information like that to us of all people.”

“Well, it couldn’t hurt to try!” Natsu said, determined.

“I get that you’re both passionate about these demons, but let’s at least put together these papers, alright? Then after school tomorrow we can talk about this crazy plan and come to some sort of agreement.”

“Deal,” agreed Gray. “But we should probably try to get some sleep once the paper is done. I don’t wanna talk about such an important thing without any rest.”

“I hate to break it to you, but we literally have to leave for school in about an hour,” Sting noted after looking at the time.

“What?!” Gray exclaimed, grabbing his cellphone. Sure enough, they had about an hour before they had to “wake up” and start getting ready. “Holy shit…this is not good.”

“What did you think I meant when I said all-nighter?” Natsu said, sorting through the notes Rogue had taken.

“I didn’t think we’d actually be up all night. How the hell are we gonna manage to stay awake for a full day of school tomorrow?”

“Coffee, my friend,” Sting said with a yawn. “Works like a charm. Who’s up for a 7 a.m. Starbucks trip once these papers are done?”

“That sounds good,” Rogue said as Natsu and Gray nodded.

“Great! Now get your butt over here Gray, let’s finish this up.”

Gray practically rolled over to Sting, being too tired to actually stand up and walk over to where he was sitting.

Natsu crawled over towards Rogue, perching next to him as the two talked about how to properly write the final version of their paper. Natsu did all the planning while Rogue did all the typing in addition to making sure the grammar and syntax was correct.

@poledancingghostson @mrhuskay @bucks-apron @buddieswitness @fatherpo