A/N: Belated birthday fic to Fullbusterrulesmyheart.
It's angsty but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway, my dear. :)
Thanks to mdelpin for the quick read. All mistakes are my own though.
Moment
Time ran out too fast.
It trickled down, slowly, inexorably, unstoppable. A relentless wave that was never-ending.
It was stifling.
It was overwhelming.
It was reality.
Gray was stuck in a single day for… he'd lost count, unfortunately.
But it was always the same.
Wake up at home, go to the guild, meet up with his friends, argue with Natsu, eat, go on a mission, someone died and they returned home – heartbroken – just for blackness to engulf everything and the day to start again.
But today – whichever day it was – Gray was going to change things.
How?
Well, they would not go on the mission, that's how.
Also.
His dance with Natsu had been going on for too long. It was fun at first, but by now Gray just wanted to press Natsu against the nearest wall and kiss him until they were both breathless.
He hadn't tried it yet because Natsu was always relishing in the fighting bit. Lucy had jokingly been calling it their foreplay and at first, Gray had found it a ridiculous notion but by now, Gray knew for a fact that Lucy was right. Well, Natsu was bound to have some different buttons to be pushed. Each person was different, after all.
Not that Gray complained.
But, he didn't want to have to go through so many steps to be with Natsu. After a while, it had become a nuisance.
With a sigh Gray got up from bed, quickly did his morning routine and hurried towards the guild. He had to sort things out before they had to go on the mission. He had almost found a method to forego the mission altogether. But not yet.
And today, not only would he go kiss Natsu at long last, but he'd also tell him about his situation. He'd tried telling the girls, the Master and many of their guildmates but it all just went away. No one remembered. Ever.
However, he hadn't told Natsu. He didn't want to think too closely about that but he had to try.
In the end, it was Natsu.
So everything went as expected, for the most part. Gray went through the motions until he placed his tray on the table. His friends looked at him, slight confusion in their expressions. Gray just went around the table, grasped Natsu's wrist and proceeded to draw him outside. Natsu spluttering and trying to escape the death grip Gray had on his wrist. After a while, he stopped.
They got to a secluded part of the park Gray had taken them to. Natsu was still silent but Gray could feel him itching to go on a tirade.
Gray just held Natsu's face in his hands and leaned forward, slightly. Natsu was the one who ended up closing the distance between them. And that's when they finally had a long overdue conversation. They talked about feelings, about where they'll go from there. And it's too much, so much so that Gray tells Natsu of the hellish day he'd been having for too long. He'd momentarily decided to not say anything, but couldn't silence himself anymore.
Natsu looked incredulously at Gray. He couldn't believe it.
And then Gray proved him wrong, saying in advance everything that was going to happen to the little girl who lost her balloon before their eyes. As she cried in her mother's arms, despite the tries of some people in the park to apprehend the balloon, Gray and Natsu left the park.
They walked through Magnolia, leisurely and little by little, Natsu began to believe.
At some point they'd gotten to Gray's house and had lunch together, continuing to discuss some matters that they would otherwise leave untouched. Their guards had come down completely.
They sat on Gray's sofa, sides touching and hands interwoven. It was calm, peaceful and safe. It had been a long time since Gray had felt that way.
By speaking they've come to an understanding so profound that Gray doubts they could ever reach it again. Still, he vows to himself to try to reach it again. And again. And again. Until the wretched day finally comes to an actual end.
The sun started to set and they part from another of the countless kisses they'd been sharing throughout the day.
Gray could feel the trickle of time, almost as if it were water being poured down his back. The worrying part was that the flow of the water was diminishing, becoming less steady.
Gray's expression shifted and the sadness he showed didn't go unnoticed by the fire mage.
He tightened his grasp on Gray's hand at the same time that a seldom-used serious expression fluttered to his face.
"It's time?" he asked in a toneless voice. For a beat, Gray couldn't reply, he just nodded.
"Almost," Gray said, finally. He looked down at their hands. He frowned at the injustice.
Natsu's free hand reached up to cup Gray's cheek.
"I don't want to forget this moment," Natsu confessed.
"Neither do I," Gray hurried to agree, turning slightly so that he could press his forehead against the fire mage's. Both closed their eyes, arms and hands falling into an embrace.
"I…" Natsu started to say but suddenly Gray's limbs felt weightless.
Darkness engulfed him.
Gray opened his eyes and contemplated the white ceiling of his room.
He was lying on his bed. Alone.
Gray closed his eyes in resignation.
A new day was beginning.
Again.