Icy winds swept across all of Fiore. There had been a state of extreme cold across the whole country for weeks, and what was supposed to be a short cold snap became a month of snow, ice and hail. On this particular day, Natsu and Happy had just arrived at the guild. It had taken them twice the amount of time it usually would, but they persisted because Natsu had lost a bet. Happy bet Natsu that he could build a better snowman, and obviously the flamebrain took him on. He could have won, too. But his fire just melted away his snowman. So here he was, about to tell Gray how he felt. The deal was that if Happy won, Natsu would have to reveal his crush on Gray. As they entered the guild, Natsu and Happy scanned the room for any sign of their raven haired nakama. He wasn't there.

"Hey Mira, do ya know where Gray is?" asked Natsu, sitting down at the bar.

"Sorry Natsu, He hasn't been here for a while now. I'm getting kind of worried," replied Mirajane.

"C'mon Happy, let's go find him," said Natsu.

"AYE SIR!"

Natsu and Happy trekked out into the snow once more, this time towards Gray's house. As usual, the door was locked, so Happy flew Natsu in through the window. But then Happy caught sight of Carla and Wendy on the other side of the canal, and rushed over to flirt with Carla.

"HEY POPSICLE! Where are yooooooou?" called out Natsu, walking around the house. No response. Then is struck him how brutally cold it was in the house. Usually even Gray didn't keep it this cold. Even more worried, Natsu barged into Gray's bedroom. There, huddled in the corner, was Gray. He was hardly breathing, his already pale skin deathly white. He hurried over to him, checking his pulse. Instead of a steady, strong beat drumming against his fingers, he found it slow and almost undetectable. Ice was streaked down Gray's face. It was clear he had been crying at some point, but now the tears had frozen on his cheeks.

"GRAY! Can you hear me?!" screamed Natsu, now terrified for his friend's health. He was met with silence. He had been reduced to an almost coma-like state from the coldness that he had been unable to escape.

~FLASHBACK~

Gray was working on his ice-make. One of his creations broke his heater, but usually he didn't need it anyways. As he practiced, his magic power drained. He'd forgotten that without his magic, he wouldn't be able to regulate his body temperature. Slowly, his heart rate slowed. He collapsed on the ground near his bed. In a last attempt to retain some heat, he yanked the blanket off his bed and wrapped it around his shoulders. It was no use. Tears rolled down his face as he curled up, falling into a deep slumber. The last name that came to mind before he went unconscious was Natsu, the fire dragon that could warm up anything, even his ice-cold heart.

~END OF FLASHBACK~

And here Gray lay, still ice-cold and asleep. Natsu's mind started racing- he had to act quickly to save Gray's life. He'd never forgive himself if Gray died on his watch. Knowing that the first thing to do would be to warm him up, he lit his hands on fire. The same kind of fire he used to dry his and Gray's clothes at the tower of heaven, rather than the destructive fire he usually used. Slowly, the room began to warm up a bit, and some colour returned to Gray's face, although he remained unconscious. Now desperate to wake him, Natsu willed a little more power into his flames, and ever so gently placed his hands on his shoulders, hoping the direct contact would wake him. After almost an hour, Gray coughed and opened his eyes. All he could make out with his blurry vision was a mess of bright pink hair

"Nat-su?" she croaked, attempting to reach out towards the fire mage.

"Gray! You're awake. How do you feel?" replied Natsu, encasing his cold hands in his warm ones.

"Cold. And I'm so tired Natsu," answered Gray. His voice was weak and strained, and he didn't even have the energy to act mad about Natsu in his house. Usually he'd flip out but today he welcomed the comfort of the fire dragon.

"Just relax, I've got you now," said Natsu as he pulled Gray towards himself, so he was practically sitting in his lap. He rested his head against Natsu's chest, and he rubbed his back with warm, soothing circles. Gradually, his heart rate went back to normal, and his brain function improved. Gray realized that he was leaning on Natsu, his rival. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he attempted to push away, but Natsu could smell the salt in his tears. He tightened his grip around Gray's shoulders.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked in a calm, quiet voice, very different from his usual harsh shriek. His tears flowed faster now- he wanted to make his magic stronger, to fight with Natsu. Fighting was the only time he could ever be close to Natsu, as much as he might have wanted to be closer more often. Gray curled up in a ball, trying to completely cover up his face.

"C'mon Gray, tell me what's wrong," whispered Natsu, trying to coax Gray into telling him. He massaged his tense shoulders, and hugged him to his chest. Natsu stroked Gray's soft, dark hair, deciding to wait until he was ready to tell him himself. Gray had cried and cried for over an hour before he would lift his head. His dream was for Natsu to show him something beyond rivalry, but now Natsu was probably just showing pity. His dark blue eyes looked so sad, Natsu felt like his heart was breaking.

"Natsu," whispered Gray, resting his head on Natsu's shoulder.

"I'm here," replied Natsu, still petting his hair.

"Why are you being so nice to me? Do you pity me?," said Lucy, her voice shaking from the tears rolling down her face.

"You shouldn't have to be this sad. I promise I will do ANYTHING to make you happy. A dragon's promise," answered Natsu. He was ready to kill whatever or whoever did this to him.

"And I wouldn't treat you like this out of pity. I…. care for you?"

"We fight all the time. I don't want to fight anymore." whispered Gray, given hope by this confession of care.

"I only fight because I thought you wanted to," Natsu replied, surprised. Gray had withstood so much, and here he was, scared that he had to fight unnecessary battles. The two were still on the floor, Gray on Natsu's lap with his head on Natsu's shoulder, and Natsu's arms around Gray. Carefully, Natsu dried Gray's tears with his scarf. He'd seen him cry too many times, he had such a difficult childhood, he didn't deserve so much pain. And then he realized, this was the perfect moment.

"Hey Gray? Can I tell you something?" asked Natsu. He had a look in his eyes that Gray had never seen in them before-was he actually nervous?

"Sure, flame brain. You can always tell me stuff. We're nakama," said Gray, smiling reassuringly at Natsu.

"Well, don't freak out, but… I like you. A lot. I love you, Gray," he said, looking away shyly. Gray's eyes got really wide. His crush liked him too?

"I like you too. I just didn't know how to tell you. I always thought you had a thing for Lucy" said Gray, gently lifting the dragonslayer's chin so his eyes were level with hers.

"Really? You're not just saying that to be nice?" asked Natsu.

"Of course I'm not just saying it. I would have frozen you by now if I didn't like you," said Gray, playfully ruffling Natsu's spiky, pink hair, which was surprisingly soft. Then they realized how lovestruck they sounded, and both looked away, blushing madly. Gray got off Natsu's lap and Natsu stood, holding out a hand to help Gray up. He took it, getting to him to his feet carefully as his legs were still weak. Almost as soon as he was fully on his feet, he collapsed, unable to bear his full weight. But before he could hit the ground, strong arms scooped him up. Natsu was carrying him princess-style.

"Thanks," whispered Gray, going red and trying to hide his face in his blanket, "Maybe I should go back to bed now."

"No way am I leaving you alone again. I'm taking you to my house," said Natsu. He lit himself on fire to keep Gray warm and jumped out the window, running through the snow with Gray in his arms. He clung to him tightly, and shrieked as Natsu hurtled over a huge snowbank. Natsu giggles at that. Gray was just too cute when he was scared! Soon, they arrived at Natsu's house. He kicked open the door, walked to his bedroom and put Gray down on his bed. He tucked blankets around him, and got the fireplace going. Only then did he realize it was night, a fact that was blocked by the whiteout conditions outside.

"Hey Gray, I'm gonna go sleep on the couch, 'kay?" called out Natsu, walking out of the room.

"No, please stay. I'm still so cold, and you're warm," answered Gray.

"I guess we could share the bed, if that's okay with you," suggested Natsu, blushing heavily.

"Yeah, it fine," said Gray, moving over to make room for Natsu. He walked over, sitting on the bed and swinging his legs under the covers. It hardly a minute had passed when they had both fallen asleep. At first they were just side by side, but as the night wore on, the air got colder and Gray shifted towards Natsu, seeking the heat from his fire magic. By the time Natsu woke up, Gray's head was on his chest, and Natsu's arms were around him, protecting Gray from the cold. He blushed, looking down at the ice mage cuddling him. He looked so peaceful, not like his waking self. Usually he was scowling at everyone, or in some cases like on Galuna island, crying. He'd sealed his heart away in ice and only the heat of a flame dragon could melt it. As they lay there, Natsu gently stroked Gray's raven locks. Soon sleep took over, and Natsu drifted off. The next morning, Gray wasn't in the bed anymore.

"GRAY! Where are you?!" yelled Natsu, panicking.