"Come on, dude, you know you should go."

Natsu Dragneel struggled to sit up in his queen-sized bed, the rays of sunlight causing him to squint as he moved about. He threw off the red and black striped down comforter and breathed in as deep as his lungs could manage. His pain killers from overnight were already starting to wear off and the sharp sensations were attacking him every time he forced his legs to move so much as an inch. His chair was in front of him, beside the bed as it had been since the day he was released from the hospital. Gods how he hated that thing. All it did was remind him of who he used to be, back before it all happened.

Summoning all his strength, Natsu lifted himself from the bed and plopped himself down in the wheelchair, taking a minute to collect himself before making his way toward the door. Looking in the full-length mirror beside the closet door, across from his bed, he was greeted by the image of a man he hardly knew. His hair was long and shaggy, he still had his muscle from years of physical activity and training but they weren't nearly as defined. His eyes, once a bright emerald green were now a dingy shade of forest green, almost black and lacking emotion. He was wearing Marine-issue sweatpants with a black tank top, his tattoos swirling over his shoulder and right arm. Above the mirror hung multiple medals and certificates from his years of service but all they did was make him angry. If he could stand to remove them, he would have, just so he didn't have to relive the bullshit over again every single day.

"Hold onto your dress, Ice Queen," he barked, sighing to himself as he yanked his bedroom door open and rolled out into the hallway of the home he shared with his ex-squadmate, Gray. They had to move when Natsu came home because their old apartment was a fifth-floor walk up and it was pretty obvious that wouldn't work. Luckily for them, their former Gunnery Sergeant owned a property that suited their needs and he rented it to them dirt cheap. With Natsu's disability checks and Gray's pay, they were able to just barely keep their heads above water. Thankfully Natsu had been treated by the Military before being shipped home because if he had been treated at a civilian hospital, they'd never afford the bills. The pinket rolled himself into the bathroom, forcing himself up into another apparatus to take care of his morning routine. If Gray was going to force him to go to the VA, the least he could do was shower and the like.

Today was the first day of what Natsu called "Broken Summer Camp". While working on Base, Gray had heard of a program at the local VA for Veterans who were disabled or having a difficult time transitioning back into civilian life. They had physical therapy on site (which Natsu was required to do for any chance of getting full function out of his legs again), counseling services, support groups, the works. He hated the idea of having to hang out with a bunch of other Vets that couldn't do anything but sit, watch television, and bitch about their feelings. However, he'd promised Gray that he would go, mostly so that Gray could go to work and not have to worry about if his buddy had fallen out of his chair or, Gods forbid, needed something higher than five feet off the ground.

Clean and redressed in the more of the same outfit, Natsu wheeled himself into the kitchen and purposefully knocked into the back of his roommate's knee. "Oops, sorry, Snowball," he teased, feeling normal for a brief moment before Gray turned and looked at him. The raven-haired Marine never noticed, but his gaze would change into one of pity every time he had to look down at Natsu. Gray didn't even make fun of him anymore! He couldn't stand it. All he wanted was to be able to get back in the ring with his friend and beat him into the ground. All in good fun, of course.

"Finally," Gray sighed impatiently. Natsu always took longer to get ready in the morning because he insisted on doing it himself. When they'd first got back, Gray had done everything for him, even helped him use the bathroom. It's what 'Brothers' did. Luckily, after a couple months of extensive therapy, Natsu had reclaimed just enough motion to be able to do minor tasks for himself and Gray didn't have it in him to deny Natsu that right. No one wanted their best friend to help them take a piss, especially at 27.

Gathering his keys and Cover, Gray opened the front door so that Natsu could roll himself out to the van. They fell into a familiar rhythm, moving around each other in perfect sync after almost a year of practice. Once Natsu was secured in his chair on the passenger side of the van, Gray got them on the road to their destination. At least it was only a few minutes down the road from where Gray was currently stationed.

"You never know, man, maybe you'll actually like it," Gray said warmly as they made their way to the VA, to which the response was nothing more than a grunt. Natsu had been silent the entire ride thus far and Gray was starting to worry. Natsu hadn't socialized with anyone much since coming home. He lived with Gray, saw his doctors, the Gunny, his sister Wendy, but that was about it. Even his ex-girlfriend who left him before his deployment had tried to help but to no avail. The ex-Corporal was stuck in a self-imposed rut and no one had been able to bail him out yet. Secretly, Gray had hoped that by possibly meeting more people like himself, Natsu would go back to the way he used to be. Nothing wrong with a bit of wishful thinking right?

It wasn't long until the two men pulled up to the VA, Gray helping wheel Natsu backward out onto the asphalt parking lot. They both entered the standard-issue military building but Natsu was immediately taken back by what he found. Sitting at the front desk was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. Her hair draped over her shoulders like woven gold, her deep brown eyes hungrily deciphering whatever document she was reading. He took a second to commit the view to memory before allowing Gray to wheel him up to the Goddess behind the solid oak table.

"Hey there," she said kindly, no trace of pity in her voice, "My name is Lucy. Welcome to the Magnolia VA. How can I help you, Mr…?"

"Dragneel," Gray answered immediately, not sure if Natsu would even bother. "This is Corporal Natsu Dragneel, and I'm his roommate, Sergeant Gray Fullbuster. I'm here to drop him off for the Rehab program?"

Natsu huffed at the thought. Rehabilitated? Ha! He'd never be back to his normal self. He'd never get to run around, fight, or go back to War. No amount of "Rehab" could fix him.

The blonde beauty looked over the desk and smiled brightly at Natsu. "Well, welcome Corporal! It's nice to have you with us today." Taking a folder of his medical records from Gray, she came around the desk only for Natsu to practically lose his mind. The girl had legs for days, and a chest unlike any he'd ever seen. Back before he was damaged goods, nothing would have stopped him from at least trying to get her phone number. Now? He just allowed himself the privilege of looking at her from a distance and reminded himself not to drool like an idiot. Before he could grab the wheels to follow her, Lucy had come behind him and grabbed onto the handles of his chair.

"Ready for your first day?" he asked, her voice light and airy.

Natsu sighed once more, giving his best friend and brother-in-arms a deathly glare before nodding. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Hey y'all! Mari here! So this is the second story that's been kicking around in my head lately. You'll see that Natsu isn't quite himself, but maybe his 'Summer Camp' will help him after all? I'll still be working on my other story, CSIAS, and Nalu Week, but I needed to get this onto paper. Hope y'all like it!